2018 Bonesology XMas Challenge: Christmas Peace, Love, & Understanding
by mphs95
Summary: My entry for the 2018 Bonesology Christmas Fanfiction Challenge. B & B, Camastoo, and Aubrey/Jessica face Christmas 2017 at a crossroads. Can they reach peace, love, and understanding before Christmas Day arrives? Hodgela will also be around to offer support. Rated T for a few swear words.
1. Thanksgiving

_**Here's my entry into the Bonesology Challenge. I changed my topic midstream so initially it may be a few days in between early chapters as I wrap up the last few parts.**_

 _ **Chapter 1 starts on Thanksgiving and leads right up to Christmas. Enjoy.**_

* * *

 **November 23, 2017**

Thanksgiving was cold but sunny in DC. Aubrey got out of bed excited for the day except for one thing…seeing Jessica Warren at Thanksgiving dinner.

After she broke up with him eight months ago, his heart was broken. He wanted to find her after the conclusion to the Kovacs case to continue their conversation, but he couldn't do it. He didn't want to know why the only woman he ever loved…stopped loving him. They never said the words, but he knew they were heading towards a future. To have that not happen cut him deeply.

He knew she was surprised to see him a month later at a crime scene. When he explained that he took a position in DC instead of LA, for a second he thought he saw…regret and happiness. However, remembering how she broke up with him in an interrogation room clouded his thoughts. When she asked if he wanted to get a cup of coffee sometime, he tersely turned her down before going back to work. Never again would he risk his heart with her again…or with anyone. He refused to let himself be destroyed like his mother was after his father left.

After that day, Jessica tried to reach him by phone, Facebook Messenger, and Twitter asking to talk. He wanted to talk to her initially but now, it hurt too much to speak to her, much less look at her. All he wanted to do at that point was to forget her.

Easier said than done.

When she left to study for the summer in Scotland, he told himself that he didn't care. Whenever he began missing her, he remembered how she broke his heart and he was able to push down his feelings. When she returned to the States and they worked another case together, it would be totally professional.

Until his ex-girlfriend returned to the States with a new boyfriend. Samir Vashir was a translator from the Pakistani Embassy in Edinburgh who transferred to DC. They grew up together at her cooperative. He was articulate and smart, but also a pompous windbag. However, she seemed happy around him and his heart hurt at how easily he was replaced.

Luckily, Karen was with him when they ran into Jessica and Samir at Founding Fathers. After a quick introduction and separation, Aubrey poured his heart out once again to the psychologist. Eventually their talking turned into getting trashed together and he woke up the next morning hungover and naked in Karen's bed.

In shock, he got dressed and came out to her kitchen, where she was cooking him breakfast. As she took care of him that morning, he realized that Karen had been there for him when he needed her. She listened to him talk about Jessica and always made his favorites for dinner, and always willing to do what he wanted without pushback. He knew she had stronger feelings for him than he did for her, but he was lonely and she made him the most important thing in her life.

He needed that. He knew she would always be there for him and she was a good person. While it wasn't love, he was confident that they could grow into more in time. So instead of an awkward goodbye, he decided to pursue the relationship the woman had hinted she wanted from him for the last several months.

It wasn't easy though being Karen's boyfriend. She wasn't a big fan of his friends, especially from the lab and he knew the feeling was mutual. His time with Booth, Brennan, and everyone else was few and far between to his sadness, but Karen needed to his number one priority.

Her possessiveness was getting to him, though. Two weeks ago she ripped him a new asshole because he had lunch with his ASAC Genny Shaw at Founding Fathers instead of being available when she surprised him with lunch from the diner. He finally told her that enough was enough and she had to either trust him or dump him. She apologized for her behavior and he accepted. However, he needed space, so he came home alone. It was nice to be just him and his cat Skinner because the orange tabby didn't like her either. His nights alone began to outnumber the nights Karen came home with him and he felt relieved. They also hadn't been sexually active since that last fight, but he wasn't missing that very much either.

During those night alone, he realized that he still missed Jessica. While he missed the romance and sex, most of all he missed their friendship. Outside of Booth, she was his best friend, someone he trusted. He had days where he was very lonely without her.

Did she miss their friendship, too? She told him more than once that he was her best friend and she would never care about another person like she did for him. Of course, she never told him those three words he wanted to hear…but he never spoke them in kind to her either.

Perhaps that's why she seemed to hesitate when he told her he was serious about her…and why didn't want to come to LA with him. He always tried to reassure her he wasn't like his father, but all that did was annoy her. Of course, in the end it didn't matter because she dumped him and they moved on to new partners.

Only to himself would he admit that Jessica was still in his dreams. Shamefully he also still saw her face more than once while he was intimate with Karen. It frustrated him that it still sometimes hurt to be around his former girlfriend. Once again he pondered whether he should have met up with Jessica when she asked him to back in April. Shaking his head, he decided that he made the right decision by cutting her out of his life.

Putting his thoughts back to his holy day, Aubrey was determined to concentrate on the food and his friends. To his relief, Karen had agreed to his request to spend Thanksgiving with Booth and Brennan. Things were still strained between them but it was the holidays. Once they got through them, Karen would finally relax and they could move forward.

Then, when it didn't make his heart hurt, he and Jessica could go back to being friends again.

Grinding beans for his coffee, he started the machine before heading to the bathroom to take a shower.

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

Cam was running around the kitchen putting the finishing touches on her green bean casserole that she was bringing to Booth's house. Her cooking skills were…not the greatest, but everyone liked this dish. When it was done, she placed it in the fridge before pulling out a carton of eggs.

"Mom…where's the coffee?"

Cam turned to see Michelle saunter sleepily into the kitchen in her pajamas. "Over there. It's the Turkish coffee, though. If you want regular coffee, you have to brew it."

Michelle picked up the dallah and poured some. "That's okay. I'm used to it by now, Mom."

Cam stopped beating the eggs to hug her daughter. "Have I told you how nice it is to have you home for Thanksgiving?"

"You have. I'm glad my FBI academy class doesn't start until January."

"Me, too." Cam said quietly, shaking off her recurring fear of Michelle being injured in the line of duty. "Since you're up, we have four men who will be hungry soon. I'm okay at making the adasi, but I'm still mastering the omelets from Iran Arastoo and your brothers like so much."

Michelle hugged her mom. "You've got this, Mom. I'll work on the adasi and heat up the bread for the omelets while you make them."

"Sounds good."

The two women worked in the kitchen until Cam was startled by a pair of arms around her waist. "Oh, you scared me, Arastoo."

Michelle giggled as her stepfather kissed her mom's cheek. "Who else is going to do this?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?" Cam responded with a sly smile.

"Cam, there are children in the kitchen." Arastoo joked back as his stepdaughter laughed. "Michelle, you better have left me some coffee."

"Yes, Dad…" Michelle giggled again. "I left you plenty of coffee, Arastoo."

"Thanks." As Arastoo poured, they heard feet coming towards the kitchen. "The boys are up."

Cam watched her three boys parade into the kitchen. "Morning, guys."

"Morning, Mom." Isaiah said before opening the fridge. "I'm hungry."

"Out of the fridge. I'm making breakfast." Cam replied.

"Should I get the cereal just in case?" Isaiah retorted jokingly.

Cam turned and pointed her spatula towards her middle son. "Hey there, smartass. I've been doing better."

Isaiah peeked into the pan. "I'm hungry, Mom. When's dinner with Uncle Booth?"

"We're heading over at noon, Hollow Leg." Arastoo saw Tyler hovering outside. "Hey you, come join us."

The teenager entered the kitchen but stopped. "It looks crowded."

"Yeah, but that's what happens when we have four kids in the house." Arastoo said. "We're making those Persian omelets for breakfast."

Tyler looked uncomfortable. "I'll just have cereal, Cam."

Cam became sad. She had developed a close relationship with Isaiah and Jordan, but there was still distance between herself and Tyler. "Sure."

"Where's the milk, Dad?"

Arastoo also caught the small snub but with Cam's head shake let it go. "On the counter."

"Tyler, why are you calling Mom by her first name? She's Mom." Jordan said innocently.

Wanting to avoid an awkward moment, Cam jumped in. "He can call me whatever he wants, Jordan. I'm okay with Cam."

Seeing her mother sad, Michelle jumped in. "Hey guys, lets go watch the Macy's Thanksgiving parade while Arastoo and Mom make breakfast."

"Cool!" Jordan ran until stopped by Arastoo.

"Walk, Jordan. The parade will still be on television." Arastoo saw his stepdaughter and mouthed, "Thank you."

"No problem." The young woman whispered before disappearing with the boys.

Arastoo turned to see Cam giving intense focus to the food on the stove. Putting his arm around her, he squeezed. "I'm sorry, Cam. Tyler…he's getting there."

"I know. He remembers his mother the most, so it's hard for him to be close to me _."_

"He'll be there before you know it." Arastoo kissed the top of his wife's head. "Now, I'll help with breakfast. It's the least I can do after keeping my wife up late last night."

The pathologist giggled. "Arastoo, we almost woke up the kids with what you did…"

"Because you liked it _. 'Oh Arastoo…Arastoo…oh yeah…'_ " The forensic anthropologist stirred the lentil soup until Cam smacked his arm. "Hey, no spousal abuse on Thanksgiving."

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

Booth slid the turkey in the oven and shut the door. "Yes…I love Thanksgiving. Turkey…stuffing…football…napping…"

"Booth, remember to leave room for my Tofurkey." Brennan replied as she put the last pie on the counter to cool.

"Bones…no one ate that fake meat last year—"

"Aubrey ate my tofu artichoke squares…"

"Because he thought it was chicken." Booth retorted. "He didn't eat any of your Tofurkey last year. Not even that Dr. Fuentes that always flirts with you ate any of it."

"Well, he's not coming this year due to his new position in Connecticut, so you don't have to worry about him. I respect that most will eat that…dirty bird, but there is nothing wrong with choice."

"Bones, not even your father would eat it…" Booth got quiet. "I'm sorry."

"Booth, it's okay." Brennan began mashing potatoes. "I know the holidays…this is the first Thanksgiving since Dad died…I've been through holidays with parents before, you know."

"Yeah, but that's when your mom and dad were on the run." Booth said quietly. "Remember two years ago when he fought with Aubrey for the wishbone."

"He complained when Aubrey won…" Brennan smiled. "There's no such thing as a wish coming true from cartilage, but for his sake, I hope it did."

"It did, Bones…it took another year and a half, but he finally got Jessica." Seeing his wife's questioning look, he smiled. "He had a crush on her even then."

"But they're broken up now…and seeing other people." Brennan added cream cheese to her potatoes. "They seem to be moving on."

"Yeah, Aubrey's with Karen and Jessica is with that Samir guy, but…they're not over, Bones." Booth went to refill his coffee. "I see they way they still look at each other when they think no one else notices. It's not over."

"Booth, if Aubrey and Ms. Warren still care about each other, why are they dating others? It's not logical to be with someone else."

"A lot of things, Bones. They hurt each other and…I think they're scared of being rejected as well as taking another chance and failing. Aubrey says that he misses having a buddy to go to his weird science fiction stuff with him, but I think he misses her friendship."

"Ms. Warren's boyfriend seems to have very expensive tastes that I don't think she appreciates those things the same way." Brennan thought for a minute. "She does seem…quieter when Aubrey is mentioned or seen. Perhaps she also misses him."

"Well, hopefully they work it out because Karen…I don't know how Aubrey deals with her. She's a pain in the ass when Aubrey isn't joined up at her hip and he can't even talk to you without her being put out. It's ridiculous. I didn't want her here today to ruin my holiday."

"Well, we had to include her today, Booth."

"I know and I'll be polite to her. Aubrey is my friend and I can do that." Booth looked around. "Will we have enough food? Russ, Amy and the girls will be here in a couple of hours, plus Cam and Arastoo have Michelle and the boys today."

"There will be enough food, Booth." Bones went back to her task. "Jeffrey is three weeks old and only partakes in Angela's breast milk."

"Bones! Come on…" Booth's phone rang. Seeing who was on the other line killed his mood, but he couldn't ignore the call with his wife in the kitchen. "Hello…hi Mom…yeah, just getting ready for dinner…yep have a houseful coming over…all right…"

Seeing Christine walking Hank into the open area, Booth switched gears. "Hey, Christine is up. I'm sure you want to talk to her." Putting the phone onto his chest, he called his daughter over. "Hey Monkey, want to talk to Grandma Marianne?"

"Yeah!"

"Here's your granddaughter…yeah…yeah…bye." Booth handed his daughter the phone and sighed in relief.

"Christine, go ahead and take Daddy's phone into the living room so Hank can talk to her, too." When their children were out of earshot, Brennan turned to her husband. "Booth…you can't keep avoiding your mother."

"I'm not avoiding her, Bones. We have a holiday dinner to prepare and a house to get situated." Booth cleaned up the counter.

"Booth—"

"Bones…drop it, please."

Before Brennan could say anything else, Christine brought the phone back. "Daddy, Grandma wants to talk to you."

"I've got to get in the shower. Give the phone to your mother, please."

Brennan watched her husband walk away. Taking the phone, Brennan smiled for her daughter's sake. "Hello Marianne…yes it's Temperance…Booth needed to get dressed because we have guests arriving in a little while…Christmas at Lake Tahoe? Booth and I plan to stay home around the holidays, but thank you for the offer."

"Christine, can you keep Hank occupied while I finish up in here?" When the child left the kitchen, the anthropologist listened on the other line. "I will let Booth know you will call back, but we have guests today, so he won't have time to speak to you…Marianne, I will not talk to my husband on your behalf. Now, I need to prepare dinner for several people. Happy Thanksgiving."

 _'But Temperance, please—"_

Brennan ended the call and put the phone on the counter. While she felt her husband needed to get past his anger with his mother for her actions, she agreed with his stance completely.

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

A sleek Lexus pulled into Booth and Brennan's driveway and parked. Getting out, Jessica held a salad as Samir locked the door.

"I'm glad you came today, Samir. My friends are great to be around."

"I still think Ahmed's luncheon would be better career wise for both of us to attend-."

Jessica rolled her eyes as they rehashed an argument of the last week. "Then go ahead and go, Samir. I can get a ride home."

"Then I would look like an ass for dumping you here. We can go over for brunch tomorrow."

"I have plans tomorrow, remember? I'm helping Angela with the baby so she can take Michael Vincent to the dentist."

"Damn it, Jessica. Can you try to put some effort into things I like to do? I look like an ass when I show up for work functions without my girlfriend."

Jessica exhaled. Once again, she wondered why she worked so hard in this relationship. Samir was handsome, smart, fun to be around, and also most times a nice guy. However, lately, she remembered what also made him stand out at the cooperative; his need to always get his own way. He seemed to have grown up when they met up again this summer. However, ever since he came back to DC with her in August, it became obvious that maybe her boyfriend hadn't changed all that much.

While she tried to enjoy his interests, he rarely gave her the same courtesy. When she asked him to join her for the midnight premiere of The _Last Jedi_ in three weeks, he told her no and once again made fun of her.

"Jessica…haven't you outgrown that…trite stuff yet? You were into it when we were growing up but you're 29 years old now. It's time to appreciate more mature interests."

If she and Aubrey were closer, she could go with him. They always had so much fun together because they liked the same things. While they didn't always agree on certain topics, he still respected her stances and never made fun of her.

Yes, things were strained once his promotion to LA came up, but the commitment elephant already hung over them. She was hurt and angry when he responded her catching Cam's bouquet by getting shitfaced, but she loved him. What broke her was his halfhearted offer to join him in LA after he discussed it with several people except her. She was still unsure, but when Dr. B confirmed that there would be no way for her transfer her fellowship to UCLA, she realized what she had to do.

Breaking up with Aubrey broke her heart, but she cared about him…no, loved him enough to not keep him from the opportunity of a lifetime.

When she found out he stayed in DC, she got her hopes up. They had problems, but maybe in time they could have worked things out. She was scared, but if they had any chance of at least being friends…or even getting back together, she had to tell him how she felt. She wanted him back and she would do anything.

However, he wouldn't talk to her. She tried everything to contact him, but he ignored her. She knew that he was deeply hurt by their break up but she had hoped to maybe salvage their friendship. He was the best friend she ever had, but it was obvious that James Aubrey didn't want anything to do with her.

Then she heard the gossip about Aubrey and Karen spending time together and realized he was ignoring her because he had already moved on without her. When the opportunity for the summer internship in Scotland came up, she was hesitant. Trying one more time, she left him a letter pouring out her feelings and left her overseas contact information. He never responded and she accepted the offer to go study at the University of Edinburgh.

Still, she hoped he would call her while she was there, but Aubrey never called her in Scotland either. Meeting up with Samir in Edinburgh made it less lonely for her and when he offered his affection, she took it. She felt it to be a fling and she thought he had the same understanding.

To her amazement, he surprised her the day before she went back to DC with the news that he took a transfer to the embassy there. However, with Aubrey ignoring her and Samir following her, perhaps it was a sign. The vibe wasn't there but vibes brought her Aubrey and it didn't work out.

When they met up with Aubrey and Karen a week after her return it was awkward. When she saw Karen take Aubrey's hand and he complied, Jessica finally acknowledged that she missed her chance. Pushing the last of her hesitation aside, she vowed to put 110% into her relationship with Samir. If he was willing to move to be with her, she owed him that.

But over the last several weeks, it was obvious to her that they were going in two separate directions. However, she didn't want to dump another boyfriend for something trivial as differences. It was the holidays and she didn't want to make a rash decision.

Samir was a good guy and his flaws aside, did try his best. However, she couldn't deny the fact that he would never take Aubrey's place in her heart. But it was time to move on. If Aubrey could do it and forget how special they were, she could do the same.

Angela warned her that Aubrey and Karen would be coming today. She knew that Karen didn't like hanging out with the lab group and the profiler especially didn't like her around anywhere. She didn't go to the Labor Day barbecue Booth and Brennan gave to be respectful, but she wasn't avoiding Thanksgiving because Aubrey's new girlfriend was insecure about her. If she didn't know that James Aubrey was a faithful and honorable man, then he deserved better.

Knocking on the door, they were greeted by Angela holding her newborn son. "Hey it's Jessica…and Samir. Come on in."

"Thanks. I made that grape salad that Dr. B requested."

"Awesome. Samir, can you get the door? Thanks." Angela led the way towards the open area. "Everyone else is here. Go ahead and put that on the counter, please. Brennan is with Christine."

The redhead saw everyone, but her eyes zeroed in on the lanky man standing in the kitchen by the refrigerator. Putting the salad down on the center island, she forced a smile on her face. "Happy Thanksgiving, Aubrey."

Aubrey wasn't prepared for the punch in the gut he got when she walked in with her boyfriend. Taking a breath, he composed himself. "Happy Thanksgiving, Jessica."

 _'So formal…he never calls me Jess anymore.'_ Jessica sensed the wall he put up but was determined to be polite. "How are you, Aubrey?"

"Good…busy with Major Crimes." Aubrey took a drink of his beer. "How are you?"

"Good…busy with the lab and my dissertation. I'm finally able to start putting all my data together and I may be able to graduate by the end of the fall semester next year."

"That's great, Jess…Jessica." Aubrey groaned inwardly. _'This shouldn't be so fucking hard.'_

"So um…are you still going to see the midnight showing of _The Last Jedi?"_ Jessica pulled the lid off the salad. "I'm super stoked for it."

"Heck yeah. It's going to be great. Luke, Leia, it's going to rock…" Realizing his manners, he opened the fridge. "Do you want a beer?"

"Yeah, that would be great…thanks."

Aubrey pulled out a Yuengling and opened it. "Here you go."

"Thank you."

In the living room, Karen watched the exes with eagle eyes. She hated being so jealous, but every time she saw Aubrey with another woman, she got insecure. Seeing the redheaded intern here intensified that insecurity, especially since she saw the way her boyfriend watched Jessica when she wasn't looking. He never looked at her like that…ever.

When she saw them laughing, she'd had enough. She worked too hard to get Aubrey to let him get caught in that little crotch's web again. Walking over, she overheard them.

"My brother Aaron was in town last month and he said to tell you hi."

"Tell him I said the same. How's his wife?"

"Nadia is great, thanks. She's going back to work full time."

"Really? That's cool."

Karen put her arm around her boyfriend and looked at the interloper. "Jessica…nice seeing you today. Aubrey and I are glad you came."

Jessica's good mood iced over at the profiler's arrival. Karen was the one who told her that Aubrey would resent her if he gave up the opportunity to go to LA. She also was the one that told her about Aubrey's reluctance to commit, which was proven when he got trashed at Cam and Arastoo's wedding when she caught the bouquet.

But she had no room to talk. That scared her to death, too. But it was too convenient that the woman who suggested breaking up with Aubrey became his girlfriend soon after.

"You know, Samir is in the living room, Jessica. I'm sure he would like to spend time with his girlfriend instead of you hogging your ex." Karen said in a direct tone.

Jessica could see Aubrey was embarrassed, but the profiler, while she had the subtlety of an elephant, had a point. "Well, I'll talk to you later, Aubrey. Nice seeing you, Karen."

Aubrey watched Jessica walk away from the awkward scene before turning to Karen. "What the hell was that about?" He whispered harshly.

"What? I just wanted to say hi to Jessica." Karen grabbed a carrot. "She was ignoring her boyfriend and that's pretty rude."

"He was talking to Booth and Hodgins. He wasn't sad and alone in a corner."

Dipping her carrot into the ranch dip, Karen chewed. "Well, she shouldn't be flirting with her ex-boyfriend at a Thanksgiving dinner. You shouldn't be encouraging her either."

"I wasn't…we were friends before we dated Karen. She was my best friend and I've missed hanging out with her sometimes. Just because we're broken up means I can't talk to her socially. It's called being polite."

"She's the same woman who made you a depressed mess for most of the summer. It took me a long time to get you out of that funk. Just remember who you're dating."

"Karen, quit being possessive. We've talked about this and you promised you would quit getting so clingy and jealous." Aubrey slugged a drink. "I'm going into the living room."

The psychologist watched her boyfriend walk away. She hated how Aubrey always made her feel jealous and insecure. She knew he was a good guy, but she didn't want to take a chance and lose him. Especially since she knew he still had feelings for his ex-girlfriend.

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

Once everyone gathered around the table and were seated, Booth stood up. "Okay everyone. It's time for everyone to say one thing you're thankful for. I'll start…I'm grateful that after what happened at the lab last March, we all got out in one piece. We lost Max this year, but I'm sure he's looking down at us shaking his fist at Aubrey because he wanted a rematch with the wishbone."

Everyone laughed and Booth continued. "We have a new member of our family…"

Karen smiled as she wanted for her name to be called but was disappointed when Booth looked at Angela, who was feeding her son with a bottle.

"Jeffrey William Hodgins…that little guy got through a bomb and being three weeks early for his parents, but he's welcomed into our family." Booth inhaled. "I'm also grateful for my friends, my family, and most of all, for my wife. Bones…you're my best friend and I'm grateful that we have this life together…and I hope we have many more."

Three people down it was Aubrey's turn. "I just want to say…this has been a year of…change. My father is in prison and I have a new job at the FBI that thanks to Booth's patient coaching, I think I'm doing all right at."

The table chuckled. "There's one more thing I'm grateful for."

Karen preened again, expecting to hear her name. What he said next infuriated her instead.

"It's the friendship of everyone at this table. It may be strained at times…" Aubrey looked right at Jessica, "…but you're all the best friends I've ever had. You're my family. I…love you all."

Jessica hoped that she wasn't blushing too hard. She suspected it earlier when they talked but now Aubrey's eyes were conveying a silent message to her that he wanted to be friends again. Grateful, she smiled. She missed him so much.

As for Karen, she was also red, but in humiliation. Not only has Aubrey's friends so far barely acknowledged her place with the agent, but he also gave a toast that even a fool would see what directed at his ex-girlfriend. It was getting harder and harder to ignore.

Everyone at the table noted the profiler's irritation but held back their smiles. Michelle was next as the table continued the round. Before the second side of the table, the kids table got a chance to say thanks. Jordan led the way.

"I'm glad that we got nice parents for Thanksgiving. Thanks Dad and Mom!"

Isaiah stood and did the same. "I'm glad we live here now, right Tyler? We have a cool new mom and dad."

The teenager didn't like the spotlight, so he stood up reluctantly. "Um yeah…thanks Dad…thanks Cam."

Finally, it was Samir's turn. Standing up, he held his cup of tea. "I am thankful for this invitation to dinner. My girlfriend has warm friends and it's with great pleasure that I make this announcement."

Clearing his throat, he smiled. "This morning, I was offered the position of head translator to the Consulate General in Ottawa, Canada…and Jessica is coming with me."

Speechless, Jessica turned to her boyfriend. "Uh, what?"

"Congratulations, Ms. Warren." Brennan said. "However, I can't transfer your internship. Do you know what you'll do?"

"She does have a Masters Degree so she'll figure out something, Dr. Brennan. Canada will be great for her." Samir sat down and kissed her cheek.

Not wanting to embarrass her boyfriend, she merely nodded her head. "Yeah…"

For Aubrey, his feelings were crushed. _'She wouldn't go to LA with me, but she'll go to Canada with him? I guess we're really over.'_

Looking up, he saw Jessica looking back at him. While they weren't together anymore, he knew that she didn't look happy, but he was with Karen now and he needed to accept that.

As for Karen, she felt sad as once again, Aubrey gazed at his ex in a way he never looked at her. Something had to change…and soon.

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

After the last guest had gone, Booth and Brennan were cleaning up when the agent's phone rang. Not looking at the Caller ID, he answered. "Booth…hey Mom…"

Brennan stopped what she was doing and watched her husband.

"It was a good Thanksgiving…it's late though and we're cleaning up…Christmas in Tahoe…no, Mom we're staying home this year…because it's what we do…I appreciate your offer to pay for our flight but no, I have too much going on to have Christmas with you, Reggie, and his kids…Mom…I said no…I'm not talking to you about this…good night."

"So she asked you about Tahoe?" Seeing Booth's saw tighten, she put her hand on his shoulder. "It sounds nice…"

"No Bones. We can stay here in DC. We host Christmas every year and it's already planned."

"Is that the reason or is it because you're mad at your mother?"

"Bones…I don't want to fight on Thanksgiving. I just don't want to uproot the kids across the country when we already have traditions of our own. No thanks."

Brennan knew better than to press the issue tonight. "Okay, Booth."

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

Arastoo and Cam were driving the boys home as Michelle was going to a friend's house for Thanksgiving. The chatter was loud and boisterous. However, as they crossed back into DC from Virginia, Jordan asked a question.

"Dad, can we change our name from Williams to Vaziri?"

Surprised, Arastoo kept his eyes on the road. "You want to have my last name?"

"Yeah, you're my dad. Kids have dad's names." Jordan turned to his adoptive mother. "I can be a Saroyan, too, Mom."

Cam chuckled. "It's okay Jordan if you just want to be a Vaziri. Saroyan-Vaziri is a mouthful and I'll still be your mom."

"Isaiah, what do you think?"

"It was cool that you didn't make us change our names when you adopted us, but I'm cool with being a Vaziri."

Hearing silence from Tyler, Cam turned around. "Tyler, what are your thoughts?"

Eying Cam, the teenager answered surly. "Williams is our name and it always will be. We're not changing our names to Saroyan or Vaziri."

The couple looked at each other and knew they could be stepping onto a landmine. "How about this, guys? We get through the holidays and if you are still interested, we can talk to a lawyer about changing your name to Vaziri—"

"Our name is Williams!"

Choosing her words carefully, Cam turned around. "If you don't want to change your name, Tyler, we won't make you. However, if your brothers want to, we will facilitate that."

"Williams was our mother's last name. We're not changing it and I won't let you change my brothers' names. That's final."

"Tyler…don't disrespect your mother—"

"My mother is dead! Cam adopted me but she's not my mother."

Arastoo opened his mouth, but Cam put a hand on his arm. He saw his wife had tears in her eyes and dropped the subject at her request.

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

Karen found a spot near Aubrey's apartment to park. Stopping the vehicle, she turned to her boyfriend. "I hope there are some overnight spots open nearby. I would hate to get a ticket."

Aubrey hoped he wasn't going to start a war. "Actually Karen, if you don't mind, I need to make it an early night, so I'll just go in alone and you can go to your apartment."

"You're sending me home again?" Karen pouted. "If I didn't know better, you wanted to avoid me, Aubrey."

"Karen, I'm tired and I have to be at work early in the morning. I would be going to bed…"

The profiler moved her hand to his thigh. "I can go to bed with you. I'll give you a good night's rest, Agent Aubrey after a nice workout. I have these super sexy panties on..."

"Karen…I'm not in the mood to fuck." Aubrey moved her hand away and gave her a perfunctory kiss. "I'm heading in. I'll talk to you this weekend."

Karen watched her boyfriend get out and walk into the old brownstone building. It seemed that Aubrey was hardly in the mood for sex anymore. Yes, she had her issues with jealousy, but she was working on them. He didn't have to punish her by cutting her off.

But she couldn't ignore earlier tonight. She could no longer deny that there were feelings still between Aubrey and Jessica. Hopefully, the redhead would go away with her boyfriend. If not, she didn't know what to do.

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

"Samir…I'm not going to Canada with you."

The translator drove his car through Jessica's neighborhood. "Of course you are. We're a couple. There's stuff for you to do with your degrees."

"No, Samir. I'm staying to earn my doctorate with Dr. Brennan. I wish you would have discussed this with me before dinner."

"Are you mad because I surprised you with it? Jessica, that's no reason to pitch a fit and refuse to come with me. We're a couple and we need to be together."

"Why can't you just stay here, then?"

"Because it's an opportunity I can't afford to give up." Samir turned onto Jessica's street. "Now, quit being stubborn. I'm not moving until February. That's plenty of time for you to get things in order and get a visa. I'm sure Dr. Brennan will give you a letter of reference."

"Samir…for the last time, I'm not going. I'm not going to change my mind."

He pulled into Cho's Grocery and parked his vehicle. "So what the fuck are we supposed to do? Long distance? That's not going to work for me."

Closing her eyes, Jessica knew what she had to do. "Samir, we won't do long distance…because I'm breaking up with you."

"Excuse me?"

"Samir, you're a great guy and we've known each other most of our lives, but…we're going in two different directions. It's just not going to work out."

"We can make it work, Jessica. You've always been stubborn and a pain in the ass, so for once, think of someone else. We can have a future together."

Jessica knew that his surprise was partly her fault and she couldn't prolong it any longer to spare the man's feelings. "Samir…there is no future. I'm sorry. I didn't want to do this on Thanksgiving, but you forced my hand."

"So I transferred here to be with you for nothing."

"Samir, I never asked you to transfer. I knew your place was in Scotland. You made the decision to move here on your own. Don't blame this on me."

The man brooded for a moment. "You're a bitch. You don't dump people on Thanksgiving, Jessica. Get the fuck out of my car."

Jessica opened the door and had barely shut it when Samir sped out of the small parking lot, narrowly avoiding her downstairs neighbor's car. Shaking her head, she entered the code to the back door and went in. Entering her apartment, she secured it, put her leftover salad in the fridge, and shut the door.

Flopping on the couch, she ruminated over the last twenty minutes. She should be devastated that she broke up with her boyfriend, but all she felt was…relief. She hated admitting it but it was true.

This whole day started mundane, but it became one surprise after another as it moved forward.

It was nice to see Aubrey and it was better they were…friendly this time. Karen was all over him like a wet dishtowel, but that was the profiler's insecurity, not anything the agent did. Hopefully, she let Aubrey breathe sometimes.

Recalling how he looked at her during dinner, she shivered. He said he loved his friends, but only focused on her. While he specified friendship, she couldn't help but wonder if he was trying to tell her something else. Could they be more than just friends someday?

It then hit her and she couldn't lie about it any longer. She was still in love with James Aubrey…but he was taken now. As much as she wanted to tell him about Karen's part in their breakup, it wasn't her place. He was happy and that was more important to her.

If she could just get his friendship back for Christmas, that would be the best gift of all.


	2. Change Is In The Air

_**Okay, I'm working on the last two chapters and I hope to have them done and ready by Saturday to get back on schedule. Thank you all for your patience. So, there's a lot of contemplation in this chapter. What's going on?**_

* * *

 **December 8, 2017**

Cam took the afternoon off to take the boys Christmas shopping for Arastoo. Giving them each $40.00, she followed them as they walked around the mall checking out different stores. When they were done, she took them to the food court for an early dinner.

"Do you think Dad will like what we got him, Mom?" Isaiah asked.

"I know he will. Your dad will like the cologne you got him Isaiah and I know he'll love that book on the San Francisco Giants."

"All Tyler got him was a shirt and tie." Jordan laughed.

"Now stop that. It was a very nice shirt and tie. With your father's job at the university, it's what he has to wear every day."

"I would have got him a nicer tie but Cam only gave us $40.00." The teenager grumbled while picking at his food.

Cam bit back a retort. "Arastoo doesn't want a fortune spent on him. Those gifts plus that family portrait I've got set up with Angela for the 21st, he will have a very nice Christmas."

Tyler continued to grumble as he picked at his food. "I don't want to be in a stupid picture."

Cam maintained her patience with the young man. "You've made that very clear, Tyler. However, I'm overruling you. Arastoo will love having a picture of all of us and Michelle."

The teenager stared at the pathologist. "Well, I don't want to do it."

"Why, Tyler?" Jordan asked innocently. "I like giving Dad a picture for his work."

"Well, I think it's stupid and Cam shouldn't make us do it." The teenager looked at the pathologist. "Can I go wait out in the car, please?"

Wanting to avoid a fight, Cam gave the teenager her keys. "We're going to shop in a couple more places, let Jordan visit Santa, and then be ready to leave."

"Fine."

As he stomped away, Cam sighed. Whenever she tried to get close to him, he put up walls, determined to keep her out. His brothers welcomed her with open arms but she didn't want to push Tyler until he was ready. However, he was becoming more difficult as Christmas got closer. She wanted to be tolerant and understanding, but it was getting harder to blow off his rejections.

"Sorry Tyler is a jerk, Mom."

Shaking off her melancholy, Cam put a smile on her face. "He's just having a bad day is all."

"He's always like this before Christmas because of our other mom."

Putting her arm around her middle son, she kissed his head. "I understand. I know she died around this time, which is hard. Of course with it being the holidays, it can be a very hard time for some people. We just need to be patient with your brother. I'm sure losing your mom around this time makes you two sad as well."

"Yeah, but I don't remember as much as Tyler does." Isaiah bit into his hamburger. "I like Christmas though and it seems dumb to hate a holiday."

"Will Santa know where I'm living now?" Jordan asked. "He almost missed me last year at my foster home."

Cam ruffled the youngster's head. "Santa know you're here, I promise."

"Can we get some lights to put in the yard just in case?" Isaiah asked. "Maybe like a snowman, too? He won't lose us that way."

"You know, that's not a bad idea. I'm sure your father would appreciate help putting all that stuff up, though. Are you boys up for that?" Greeted with enthusiastic nods, Cam pointed to the end of the mall. "Target is over there. We can go see what they have. Sound good?"

"Yeah, Mom." Jordan smiled. "Can I go still sit on Santa's lap, too?"

"Let me just text Tyler to see if he wants to help pick things out with us." Cam sent the message and the reply was quick.

 ** _No and Santa Claus isn't real._**

 ****Cam sighed as his response, but was interrupted by Jordan asking, "Is Tyler coming?"

"No, he's reading a story on his phone right now." Cam put the phone back in her pocket. "Isaiah, do you want to sit on Santa's lap, too."

"No…but can I go in the game store across from Santa while you two do that?"

Cam started to clean up the table with the boys' help. "Yes but you have to stay in there. If you want to go somewhere else, even the restroom, come find me in line so I know where you are."

"Yes, Mom."

When they were done, Cam directed the way. "To Target, boys."

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

"Cam, I let it go on Thanksgiving, but we can't keep giving him a pass. You're his legal mother and he needs to respect you."

Cam turned down the cover on their bed. "Arastoo, he's still…unsure about me and I don't want to push him away."

"I know he's been distant with you, but you and I run this household, not him. I won't have my wife disrespected in her own house by anyone."

"I'm sure he's also sad because of his mother. They did lose her around Christmas. I'm sure the new home is confusing to him and he's feeling a lot of different things."

Arastoo turned over to look at his wife. "I get that Cam, but he needs limits."

She knew her husband was right. "Okay."

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

 **December 11, 2017**

After a somewhat uneventful weekend, Booth was at work going over the Homicide Division's budget for January 2018 when his phone rang. "Booth."

 _"Hello, Seeley. It's your mom."_

The agent exhaled. "Hi Mom."

 _"How are you?"_

"Busy right now. I'm going over the budget for next month before I have a meeting with the Deputy Director in thirty minutes."

 _"I just wanted to know if you had reconsidered my offer to join Reggie, myself, and our children for Christmas at Lake Tahoe. We have a wonderful ski lodge with plenty of room for you, Temperance and the kids, Parker included."_

 _'Our children? Nice of you to invite your biological son as a guest.'_ Booth thought sarcastically. "I appreciate the offer, Mom but no thank you. We're hosting our friends on Christmas and we have plans with our friends for New Years."

 _"Seeley, we could pay for your flights if money is an issue."_

Booth was growing irritated with each minute. "Mom, my wife is a best-selling novelist. We can afford to travel wherever we want. Now I appreciate the offer, but we can't go because we already have made plans. It's also too late for Bones and I to put in vacation requests."

 _"You both are heads of your departments. It can't be that hard to take a vacation. Dan and Aggie would enjoy spending time with their stepbrother and his family. It will be fun."_

Booth pinched his nose as a headache began to come on. "Mom, for the last time, no, we're not going to Lake Tahoe for a visit. Now I'm busy. Is there anything else you needed?"

The line was quiet. _"I miss you, Seeley."_

"Well, you know where I live, Mom. You're always welcome to visit the kids. Now, is there anything else?"

 _"I wish you wouldn't shut me out. I'm trying here, Seeley. Can't you do the same?"_

Booth reached his last straw. "Well I'm trying to, but it's hard when my mother puts guilt trips on me because I have responsibilities that I refuse to blow off to satisfy her whim. Now get off my back about Tahoe. Goodbye."

He hung up his phone only to hear a low whistle. Looking up he saw Aubrey. "What do you want, Aubrey?"

He really wanted to talk to Booth about what happened the last few weeks, but it looked like a bad time. "I came to see if you wanted to hit the diner for lunch, but you seem to have other things on your mind. I'll talk to you later."

Pushing the call out of his mind, Booth looked at his friend. "Actually, I'm meeting Bones at the diner. Why don't you join us?" Booth looked around the other agent past his doorway. "Wait, is Karen with you?"

"No…no…" Aubrey turned red. "I…need a break from her actually…kind of a long story…"

Realizing why Aubrey wanted to have lunch together, Booth came up with another idea. "Join us for lunch and how about we meet up at Founding Fathers after work? Just the two of us."

Aubrey smiled as his phone buzzed. Looking at it, he immediately frowned.

 ** _U haven't responded 2 my texts. I'll bring lunch 2 your office._**

 ****Aubrey quickly responded. ** _Sorry, but already have lunch plans. Another time._**

Putting his phone away, he replied to Booth. ****"I'd like that. I…miss hanging out with you."

"Okay, okay…don't get weird." Booth grabbed his coat. "Let's go."

As they were heading to the elevator, Aubrey felt another buzz. Grabbing his phone, he sighed as he saw the message.

 ** _Are u avoiding me? Why can't we have lunch together? You're my BF. Are you with that Genny Shaw again?_**

Booth saw Aubrey roll his eyes. "What's that all about?"

"I'll tell you later." Aubrey replied as the elevator doors opened.

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

Thirty minutes later, Booth, Brennan, and Aubrey were at their usual table at the Royal Diner enjoying their meal.

"So Aubrey…how is Karen?" Brennan asked politely.

"She's…all right…" Aubrey said before taking a bite. "She's working over at the Hoover today."

"She could have joined us, Aubrey…" Brennan replied, knowing from Booth that offering the invitation, although unwanted, was polite.

Aubrey sipped his shake until it hit the bottom of the glass. "It's okay, Dr. B. Karen has her hands full today."

"Dr. B!"

Aubrey froze when he heard that voice. Before he could say anything, the redhead slid on her shoes over to the table, barely holding onto her tablet. He could only stare at her reddened cheeks and cute button nose as she shoved the tablet to her mentor excitedly.

"Dr. B, I found this when I was looking at the remains…" Jessica's excitement turned to shyness when she realized who was also eating. "Hi Aubrey."

The agent's heart went all aflutter at the way she said his name, not sure how he should feel. "Hi Jessica. Still sliding on the shoes, huh?"

The intern smiled. "Well, Dr. B doesn't like us to dawdle."

"No, I don't, Ms. Warren, but you should be careful." Brennan held out the tablet with the x-ray. "Based on what you've shown me, what would be your conclusion?"

"There are no march fractures, so I would question whether this person was actually in the military. The witness who said he served with our victim in Afghanistan is lying to the FBI. He also could know more than he's saying."

"People lying about military service pisses me off." Booth muttered.

Seeing how her husband was brooding, she turned her attention back to her intern. "Nice find, Ms. Warren. Angela will be at the lab for another hour or so, so go ahead and see her for a reconstruction of the injuries, please."

"I still can't believe she's on call while on maternity leave." Jessica said. "That's amazing."

"Yes, it is. Now, make sure to knock because she may be feeding Jeffrey or pumping if her breasts are carrying excess breast milk." Brennan said, ignoring the faces on Booth and Aubrey.

"Yes, Dr. B." Jessica turned to the other man and gently smiled. "Good seeing you, Aubrey."

"Nice seeing you, too Jessica." The agent nodded and watched her go. He continued to watch as she hurried down the sidewalk back to the lab when he heard a throat clear. "What?"

"Thought you might want to eat your lunch before it gets cold, Aubrey." Booth said.

"T-thanks." Embarrassed, he took a bite and chewed. "It must suck for you all at the lab that Jessica is leaving in February. Do you have another intern lined up?"

"Ms. Warren isn't leaving with Mr. Vashir. She's staying in DC." Brennan sipped her soup.

Surprised, Aubrey dropped his onion ring. "She is? But what about Samir?"

"I don't think it matters to her what Mr. Vashir does anymore, Aubrey." Waiting for Joanne to refill her coffee, she picked it up. "She told Cam, Angela, and me that she broke up with him Thanksgiving evening."

 _'They broke up? On Thanksgiving?'_ Aubrey wondered _. 'She's staying in town…'_

Booth watched his friend daydream. "Aubrey and I are going for a beer after work tonight, Bones. I'm sure this bit of news will come up in conversation."

Brennan also noted the younger man's distraction. "I concur with your observation."

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

Six hours later, the two agents sat up at the bar at Founding Fathers waiting for their appetizers to arrive. Booth listened patiently as Aubrey talked about his latest drama with Karen.

"Aubrey, you have the right to have lunch with other people, especially with your ASAC. Your girlfriend really needs to get a grip."

"I don't know why Karen gets so damn jealous when I'm with another woman. I don't cheat and I don't constantly flirt with women. She about lost her shit on Thanksgiving when I was talking to Jessica."

"Yeah, it was hard to miss, Aubrey." Booth drank his beer. "You can't be surprised with Karen's nature that she was pissed that you were talking to your ex-girlfriend."

"No, I guess not. Karen said she was working on the jealousy, but I feel like I'm suffocating."

"Have you considered just breaking it off with her?" Booth ate a pretzel. "You're a good guy but it's obvious that she's more into you than you are into her and that she doesn't trust you. Most of all, you're miserable."

"She was good to me when I needed someone, Booth. Plus, I can't break up with someone during the holidays." Aubrey traced his stein. "But…I miss being friends with Jessica, too. Hell, I miss being with my friends without worrying about how she will react."

Booth stole a slider and chewed. "Well, Aubrey, if she was mad that you ate lunch with Genny, she's going to be furious if you and Jessica become friendly."

Aubrey shrugged. "I know. I don't know what to do, Booth. I miss Jessica's friendship…a lot, but…Karen…she's been good to me…"

Booth chased his food with his beer. "Aubrey, if I may make an observation…"

"You will whether I say yes or no." Aubrey bit into a slider.

"Whenever I see you with Karen, it looks like…you're trying so hard and you don't look happy." Booth thought for a moment. "When you were talking to Jessica at lunch today, you looked…happy. When Bones told you she broke up with her boyfriend, you watched her out the window and then disappeared into La La land."

"What's your point, Booth?"

"I have two points. First one is that you and Karen aren't working, and you need to break up with her. My second point is that I think you want more than friendship with Jessica. You always have…and I think she wants the same from you. However, you two are too chickenshit to say anything."

Feeling defensive, Aubrey sipped his beer. "She broke up with me, Booth. Remember?"

"Yeah, but you didn't fight really hard to get her to change her mind, did you?" Booth stared at Aubrey. "It was easier to ignore her and be angry than to hear what her reasons were."

"I wasn't…I…did…"

"Aubrey, Bones told me a few months ago that Jessica wouldn't have been able to transfer her internship to UCLA anyway. If she managed to get into UCLA's program, she would have to start all over and there's no guarantee that she could find a thesis advisor that could help her with her dissertation like Bones can."

"So, Jessica couldn't go with me to LA?" Aubrey was dumbfounded before his next thought came. "Wait, why didn't you say anything to me?"

"Because you didn't want to hear anything about Jessica, remember? You were angry with her for months, and I think you still are but won't admit it. She hurt you, but I think you hurt her, too with how you shut her out with all that LA stuff."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm also saying that you and Jessica have some unresolved issues that you two need to hash out. How you deal with all that is up to you."

Aubrey nodded and drank his beer.

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

Booth walked in about 8:30 and was surprised when he saw Christine running to him. "Hey Monkey!" Booth picked up his daughter and hugged her. "Why are you still up?"

"Mommy let me stay up to talk to Grandma but then said I had to go to bed."

Brennan wiped her hands on a dishtowel. "I let Marianne know that in the future Christine's bed time is 8:00."

"She said we're going to visit her and Grandpa Reggie at Lake…Taco for Christmas. There's going to be snow and other fun stuff to do."

"I think you misunderstood her, Christine." Booth kept his voice even. "We're staying here for Christmas, remember?"

"Christine, did she just tell you this while you were on the phone with her?" Brennan asked, also trying not to upset her daughter.

"Yeah." Christine smiled. "Can I learn how to ski?"

Booth did everything he could to not explode. "It will have to be another time because we have to stay here for Christmas, okay?" Seeing his daughter's disappointment, Booth smiled. "Hey we're going to have Midnight Mass, and Michael Vincent and Jordan will coming over. Danny Shaw will be over, too. Besides, Santa has to know where you are."

Christine accepted Booth's explanation to his relief. "Okay, Daddy. Will you read me my story?"

"Yeah. I just need to talk to your mother for a minute and I'll be right in." Booth kept the smile on his face until his daughter disappeared.

"Booth…I know you're upset."

"Upset doesn't cover it, Bones. She thinks these big gestures will make everything okay."

"I agree with you completely, Booth. However, it's been two years. Don't you think it's time to settle things?"

"No, Bones. A mother wouldn't do what she did." Booth tossed the dish rag in the sink.

"Booth, what Marianne did was wrong, but…"

"Bones, a mother doesn't skip her son's memorial service, all right? Especially for the reason she did."

"I know she had a poor excuse—"

"She didn't honor Jared, the son she abandoned because her stepdaughter was getting married. How could she do that?"

Brennan knew it was more than just her missing her brother-in-law's memorial service but kept her thoughts to herself. "Booth, not everyone can handle a memorial service—"

"No, but as a mother, you honor your child. She didn't honor us when she abandoned us for all those years and started a new family. I've tried to be a good son to her Bones and be forgiving, but more than once Reggie' kids always come first ahead of me, her son. Her lack of concern about Jared's death is just what really drove it home."

"She was at our wedding, Booth."

"Well, as my mother she needed to be."

Brennan knew Booth was hurting. Putting her hand on his shoulder, she rubbed it gently. "I think Marianne is sorry she hurt you."

"She may be, but she can't pretend that it didn't happen and I refuse to go along with her attempts to buy my forgiveness. Besides, she has the family with Reggie that she wants, Bones." Booth had tears in his eyes. "The one that doesn't remind her of her marriage to a drunk. I'm done making excuses for her."

They hugged for a minute before the anthropologist let him go. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I am. Christine's waiting." Booth kissed his wife. "I'll see you in bed."

Brennan took a moment to compose herself before grabbing her phone and sending a quick text message. Just before she sent it, she changed her mind and made a phone call instead. When there was a voice mail, she left a simple message.

"Call me between 9:00 – 11:30 tomorrow. I need to talk to you."

Hanging up, Brennan finished straightening up the kitchen before going to bed. Seeing Christine asleep, she walked into her bedroom and saw Booth looking off in the distance. Quickly, she got herself ready for bed and came back out. Climbing under the covers, she took her husband in her arms and held him as a few tears fell down his face.

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

Aubrey got to his front step and saw Karen waiting there looking irritated. Groaning, he continued to his front door. "Karen, hey. I hope you haven't been waiting long. I was out with Booth."

"I know. I called Dr. Brennan when I couldn't reach you after work and she told me where you went. I've been waiting for almost 90 minutes for you to come home. We need to talk."

Aubrey just wanted to chill with Skinner before going to bed. Booth was right that he had a lot to think about and his girlfriend's neuroses was not helpful. However, he couldn't tell her to go away.

"Sure, come on in. I'm beat Karen, so no in-depth conversations, please."

Karen entered first, followed by Aubrey. "Well, maybe you shouldn't have been boozing it up with Booth."

Aubrey unlocked his apartment door and let them in. "I wasn't boozing it up with him. We had a couple of beers and split some appetizers. He's my friend, Karen and I don't get to talk to him enough now that we each run divisions."

"Well, I'm tired of not being your top priority. You always seem to focus on other things like work, Booth and his family, your friends…even Jessica."

 _'God not this again.'_ Aubrey groaned. "What are you talking about?"

"You're always checking her out instead of paying attention to me. You're even sneaking around to have lunch with her today." Aubrey's silence pushed Karen further. "I saw you at the Royal Diner today when she sat with you, Booth, and Dr. Brennan. That's why you were too busy for lunch. That bitch got her hooks in you."

"Hey, don't call Jess a bitch."

"Jess?" Karen retorted. "You haven't called her that in a long time."

"Karen, I'm tired and I have a lot on my plate. I'm not in the mood to argue." Aubrey opened a can of food in the cupboard and put it in Skinner's bowl. Setting it down, the tabby attacked. "Sorry Boy, I was late with Uncle Booth…"

Karen braced herself for what she had planned to force Aubrey's hand. "I think we need to take a break."

Turning towards Karen, he stood up. "Excuse me?"

Steeling her spine, Karen held her bag and exhaled. "I want a break for a while…you know…cool it for a while. You are not being a good boyfriend and I need to think some things through."

Crossing his arms, Aubrey stared the woman down. "Okay, how am I not a good boyfriend?"

"Really? You flirt with other women…you never make time for me…"

"Karen, I have friends, male and female, that I've been neglecting because you don't like them, even though they've always been nice to you. You also get bent out of shape when I just want some time for me, alone. I need some space sometimes, you know."

"We haven't been intimate in over three weeks. Are you screwing Jessica behind my back?"

He couldn't tell her it was because he didn't feel right having sex with someone he was contemplating ending things with. "I'm not cheating on you with anyone, Karen. We have busy schedules and I'm sorry if I'm not up for command performances after working 10 – 12 hours when you're horny."

"I've also seen the way you look at Jessica and I'm sick of it. She broke up with you and you're with me now. I'm tired of fighting to get your attention from her. I'm telling you right now you're not allowed to speak to her."

Aubrey looked at the woman in front of him and realized what he needed to do. Nothing he could do would make things better.

"Karen I don't want a break. I think we can work this out."

 _'Yes, he's finally getting the big picture. Score one for me.'_ The profiler smiled, happy that her gamble paid off. "You don't?"

"No." Aubrey took off his coat and faced Karen. "I don't want a temporary break…I don't want to be your boyfriend anymore."

Shocked, Karen shook her head. "But…no…I wanted a break…just to think things over…"

"No, Karen, you wanted me to beg forgiveness for talking to my ex-girlfriend, who only stopped at the table because she was showing Dr. B a clue from their case today. I'm not going to play your game anymore. We're both miserable and I don't want to prolong it any longer. Now, I'm sorry but we're over."

"You're breaking up with me before Christmas? How could you?" Karen cried. "After all I did for you, this is it?"

Aubrey tried to soften the blow. "Karen, you were a good friend to me when I needed it, but we shouldn't have slept together and tried to make a relationship out of it. It was wrong of me to do that and I'm sorry. You deserve better than that."

"You just want to fuck your ex-girlfriend, don't you?" Karen sneered. "She's going to dump you again, you know, just like her last boyfriend."

"Lay off Jess, Karen. I don't want to date you anymore is why I'm breaking up with you." Aubrey thought about what Karen just said. "Wait, how do you know she broke up with Samir?"

Karen pulled her bag closer. "It was on her Instagram the day after Thanksgiving."

"You follow my ex-girlfriend on social media. Wow…" Aubrey wiped his face. "Okay, I'm sorry for the timing but it's not working. It's over."

"Fine." Karen stormed to the door. "Just know the next time she dumps you I won't be there with a chicken dinner to comfort you. I'll find another man will appreciate me."

Aubrey heard her slam the door, which startled the cat. Sitting down, he knew he should feel sad, but all he felt was relief.

Was Karen right, though? Was he breaking up with her to go after Jessica again? Did he want to risk that pain again?

Unsure of how he was feeling, Aubrey got up and headed for bed, his cat following him.


	3. Friendship Makes Everything Better

_**A/N: Here comes Chapter 3. Marianne's behavior is wreaking havoc on Booth's emotions and Cam is in turmoil as well. Who can help them?**_

 _ **Rated HIGH T for suggestive situations and language.**_

 _ **PS: I will be taking a day or two off to polish up the final chapters before posting. If I finish before Sunday I'll post Ch 4 on Sunday. I do appreciate everyone's patience with this story. I also apologize for my lack of responding to reviews. Super swamped at work this week with month end coming up on Monday. I will respond this weekend. I'm overwhelmed by the positive response to this story. Thank you very much.**_

 _ **Michelle (mphs95)**_

* * *

The next morning, Booth cooked breakfast as Brennan served Hank a bowl of fruit while Christine was getting ready for school. After the anthropologist made sure her son was eating his food, she observed her husband. Usually he made breakfast fun for the kids, but he was subdued this morning. Worried, she walked over to the stove and rubbed his back.

"Booth, are you all right?"

Booth took a deep breath to compose himself. "I will be, Bones. Instead of admitting at least acknowledging what she did and showing remorse, she thinks throwing expensive trips, gifts, and meals at me will make me forget the past. My feelings are legitimate, and I can't turn them off. Yeah, Jared refused to talk to her, but that was his right and with him gone, it's up to me to defend us. I owe Jared…and myself that at least."

Brennan nodded in agreement. "Yes, her attempts to ease her conscience and avoid the truth with material things is…well insulting to us and only makes me less inclined to spend time with her. I'm sure Jared would appreciate how you stand up for him if he was still alive. He…failed you many times, but I've always believed that he loved and admired you, Booth."

"If she would just give me some respect for my feelings, space, and acknowledge the past, maybe someday we could be closer."

"But she doesn't want to face the truth of what she did." Brennan said quietly.

"No, she just wants to pretend we're one happy family except for her son who's being a pain in the ass because he's not comfortable with her perfect world. Now, she used our daughter to get her own way and that…infuriates me." Booth flipped the pancakes. "I love my mom, but…I don't know. I feel so many things for her…"

"It's all right to feel the way you do." Brennan rubbed his back. "I felt different things for my father, as you know. Unlike Marianne, he acknowledged the pain he caused me. Never once did he ignore how I felt. I was grateful for that, even at our worst times."

"Max was many things, but he loved you Bones…and our family."

Brennan kissed her husband's cheek. "You were there for me when my father came back into my life. I'll do the same for you."

Booth took her hand in his and squeezed. "Thanks, Bones."

"I'm hungry!"

Seeing that they were not alone anymore, Booth put on a happy face. "So, I've got some Mickey Mouse pancakes for breakfast today…"

Brennan put a bowl of fruit in front of her daughter. "…and a bowl of berries and cantaloupe. Eat this first Christine and you can have the pancakes."

"Yes, Mommy." Christine stabbed a strawberry and chewed.

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

Aubrey got out of the shower and after drying himself off, wrapped the towel around his waist and began to shave. As he did so, he thought about the dream he had last night.

 _He arrived at the lab and saw it deserted. Making his way back to the Bone Room, he saw Jessica working diligently on a set of remains. For several minutes, he watched her as she not only observed, but felt the bones in what she called, 'letting them speak to me, just like Dr. B does.'_

 _Turning around, she smiled as she approached him. After taking his face in her hands, she gave him a steamy kiss. "Aubrey…I love you…make love to me…"_

 _He didn't hesitate as he pushed her back to the light table. After reaching under her skirt to pull her panties off, she undid his zipper. When she exposed him, he picked her up onto the equipment table nearby and they came together._

Then the alarm went off and he woke up very uncomfortable. To his frustration, just thinking about it now made him stiffen up again. Silently reciting all the Chicago Cubs he could think in his head, he eventually calmed down to where he wouldn't embarrass himself.

"The Special Agent in Charge of Major Crimes walking in with a boner? I would never hear the end of that crap."

Dressed and ready, he fed Skinner before crabbing the cereal from the cupboard. After pouring a cup of coffee, he prepared his breakfast. Leaning against the counter, he chewed his Cap'n Crunch and contemplated.

His relationship with Karen hadn't been working for a while. No, almost immediately. While he told himself it would work out, he knew now that he was kidding himself. The truth was that he pretty much used Karen to forget about Jessica…and it was a spectacular failure.

The night they slept together he was drunk and pissed off after meeting the intern's new boyfriend. He wanted easy and non-complicated because he was still hurting. No emotions…no heartbreak…no risk of rejection again.

Karen was low risk for him and it was shameful to admit that fact and seeing Jessica with someone else was why he became receptive to being her boyfriend. His now ex-girlfriend was pissed off when she stormed out last night and rightfully so. He never should have used her as a rebound because he was still in love with Jessica, his best friend.

Why didn't he listen to Jessica when she wanted to talk to him back in May? He wondered what she would have said, especially since he now knew that she may have broke up with him so he would take the LA job. He would have stayed for her, but looking back, how would she know that?

He talked to several others, including Karen before bringing it up with her. Then, he avoided Jessica as he thought about what he wanted because he was chicken shit. Then, he let himself be pushed into asking her to join him across the country at a crime scene. Worst of all, after she broke up with him, he left her in the interrogation room alone to work a case.

Would she have asked him to take her back? Would she have asked him to just be friends? Would she have apologized for dumping him the way she did?

Did she still love him like he loved her?

He didn't know. However, he also knew that he couldn't handle another heartbreak from Jessica. Maybe it would be better to just be professional. No risk…no complications.

But he missed his friend. She was that rare combination of best friend and soul mate. Maybe, just maybe, he should feel her out. After all, both were single now. Spending Christmas with the woman he loved would be amazing. Yes, they were together last year, but their plans for their first Christmas were shot when they had to work a case. All they had was Chinese at his apartment at 11:00, sex, and sleep.

Was he ready for love again? Not sure…but maybe they could work on friendship and take it from there. The question was, how did he do that?

Seeing the time, he dumped the bowl in the sink. Quickly brushing his teeth, he poured his coffee into his Star Wars travel mug, grabbed his laptop, and scooted out the door.

 ***/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/***

Brennan was working on a journal article but couldn't focus on her task. She knew what she wanted to do, but was it the right thing? Usually, she would go to Angela with something like this, but she was home today with Jeffrey.

Maybe for this, Cam would be better to talk to.

Making up her mind, the anthropologist made her away across the vast area of the lab, passing the construction men as they finalized the work on their platform. They were to be done in a couple of weeks with a celebration for the grand opening next month. The lab didn't see why they needed to have a party for it, but the Governing Board wanted to show off their updated lab.

"Cam, I need a minute of your time." Brennan stated as she entered the autopsy suite. However, it was clear that the pathologist didn't hear her.

As she got closer, she observed her boss looking at a picture of herself, Arastoo, and all four of her children that looked to be taken during the summer. Seeing that Cam was occupied, Brennan turned to walk out but accidentally knocked into the autopsy table, startling the other doctor.

"Dr. Brennan? Can I help you with something?"

Brennan put her hands in her pockets. "Well, I wanted a second opinion regarding Booth, but it looks like you are otherwise occupied. We can speak later."

"No it's fine." Cam wiped a tear from her eye. "Just getting a little emotional is all. Now, what can I help you with?"

"Marianne, Booth's mother."

Cam sighed. "Always a lovely topic."

"You're not very fond of her, are you Cam?"

The pathologist shook her head no in the affirmative. "I'm polite to her for Booth's sake, but I won't embrace a woman who left her children with an abusive man while she ran away and joined a new family. She…acts the part but she likes her nice, perfect family with Reggie, where she doesn't have to face the fact she failed Booth…and Jared. A real mother doesn't do that."

Cam saw Brennan look at the floor. "Okay, you didn't come here to hear me pontificate on bad parents. What going on?"

"Marianne is trying to appease Booth again with gestures…this time Lake Tahoe for Christmas."

"Which I'm sure he turned down…"

"Yes…but she went too far this time…"

Cam listened as Brennan described her invitation for Christmas, Booth's polite refusal, and her attempted end run with Christine. By the time she was done, the doctor was furious.

"That is…she has some nerve getting put out when Booth isn't interested in her appeasement to avoid the truth. That's bullshit."

"Cam!" Brennan was surprised at her friend's language. "Your vernacular is usually…not so colorful."

"Well, it's colorful because I'm pissed off for my friend…and you. If she would just be honest with her son and face up to what she did, maybe things wouldn't be so strained. The fact that she continued to hide away from it four years after tracking down her son speaks volumes to her character."

"You think she feels guilty for…abandoning Booth and Jared?"

"Yes, but she took the coward's way out by not contacting her children for almost 30 years. Then when Booth is understandably still resentful of how she favors her stepchildren over him, lack of remorse for abandoning him, and for her not showing up to Jared's memorial, she gets put out. That woman is a piece of work."

"I told her to call me before 11:30." Brennan looked at her phone. "It's 11:12 right now. I was ready to speak to her last night but now…"

Cam figured it out. "You want to tell her off but afraid to cause her to abandon him again…this time permanently."

Brennan nodded her head. "I am polite to her and we let her have a relationship with our children, but…she's wrong. She keeps trying to…wipe what happened under the carpet, but that only makes things worse."

"Dr. Brennan, a woman has upset your partner. If he was in trouble such as facing down the barrel of a gun, what would you do?"

"I would fire back in self-defense."

Cam nodded. "I think you know what to do or say. If she throws in the towel because of your honesty, then good riddance to her."

"Thank you, Cam. I will take your thoughts into advisement." Brennan turned serious. "Now, about the reason you're upset. Care to unload your burden?"

 _'This awkward woman is probably one of the best friends I've ever had.'_ Cam thought. "Yeah. It's Tyler. We're still…not connecting fully. Now with Christmas, a holiday he doesn't enjoy, we're constantly at odds…and I don't know how to connect with him. I love him, but…"

Brennan sat down at Cam's spare chair. "Was he…close to his deceased mother?"

"From what I know, yes." Cam replied. "We were doing well in Mississippi, but once we came back in August, he held back. I thought about extending my leave of absence, but I wanted Hodgins to have more time with his family while I worked behind the scenes."

"That…project you were talking about last month?"

"Yes. It's been tentatively approved, but it needs the final approval at the Governing Board hearing on the 22nd. You're the only other one who knows about it." Cam sighed. "Keeping this secret has been easier than my relationship with Tyler. He calls Arastoo Dad, he's growing closer to Michelle, but I'm still Cam."

Brennan thought before speaking. "When I was in foster care, even with the best foster parents, I kept my distance. I had such…wonderful parents until they left me on Christmas that…to contemplate a new mom and dad would be, well, a betrayal of them."

"Really?"

"Yes. Sweets was adopted when he was six by the Finleys, but he told me how he resisted them at first because he was in numerous foster homes himself. Over time, he grew to love them deeply and when he lost them before coming to the FBI, it devastated him. I think the fact that because his memories of his parents were vague due to his age, it was easier to bond with his adoptive parents."

"Are you saying that Tyler and I will always be…disjointed?"

Brennan realized that what she meant to say didn't come out right. "No, Cam. What I'm saying is…with patience, Tyler will grow more comfortable with you. Keep doing what you're doing. He probably feels that he's betraying his mother by having a new one. Yes, my time in foster care led me to push people away, but the main difference between your sons and myself is they found two wonderful people who wanted them to join their family."

"Thank you, Dr. Brennan."

"I hope I didn't speak out of turn."

"No, no you didn't. You've given me a new perspective. One that makes sense." Cam sighed. "Now I just need to find out why he hates Christmas so much. I know he lost his mother in December but I feel there's more to it."

"Have you talked to the boys about their mother or what happened?"

"I know she was murdered in December by their father, who had been recently released from prison."

"That's…horrible. Those poor boys."

Cam pondered for a moment. "Dr. Brennan, if I start bombarding Tyler with questions, he's going to resent me."

"Booth is more of one with emotions, but…I know I didn't celebrate the holidays for years because of my parents abandoning me at Christmas. Perhaps, you should investigate Ms. Williams' case if you are able to. Perhaps Booth can do a discreet search for you." Brennan suggested as her phone buzzed. Looking at her face, she nodded. "It's my mother-in-law. I should take this."

"Good luck, Dr. Brennan."

"Same to you, Dr. Saroyan." Brennan stood up and answered the phone. "Just a minute, Marianne. I need to go to my office."

Cam smiled as she felt better about what to do about her family. Getting on her office phone, she dialed a number. "Booth, have time for coffee? I have a favor to ask you."

"For you, anytime. Come on down. I could use a break from this budget crap. I'm meeting Bones at the diner at 1:00 today."

"Be right down." Cam hung up. Grabbing her purse and coat, she walked out of the lab.

As for Brennan, she took the long away to her office to keep herself calm. Entering the room, she did what needed to be done.

"I believe that you're sincere in your efforts to make up with Booth, Marianne. However, you need to show some humility and understand why Booth is upset with you. Grand gestures like inviting us to a family trip to Lake Tahoe is not going to make up for you missing Jared's memorial service for your stepdaughter's wedding…or abandoning him and Jared to endure further physical abuse at the whims of your alcoholic ex-husband."

 _"Temperance, it's complicated."_

"Of course it is, you're a mother. Mothers…make sacrifices for their children, not ignore them to avoid the guilt. Now, about your little conversation with Christine. You will never again attempt to manipulate Booth into giving into your wishes by using our daughter."

 _"But—"_

"This is your one and final warning. There will not be a second time, Marianne. You're the one who's caused the issues with your son. I would strongly advise you that unless you're willing to truly make amends with your son, don't call us with panaceas of trips and expensive gifts. It's insulting."

 _"Temperance, please, I need your help. Please talk to him. Surely you of all people understand. Your parents left you for good reasons."_

"No I won't talk to him for you because I agree with him. You expect a lot from Booth but don't fairly compensate. As for my parents, they left us to save our lives. You left to escape an abusive marriage, but instead of attempting to contact them again, you helped raise another family. Now, never try to use my parents in comparison to your terrible actions or you will regret it. Good day."

 _"Temperance—"_

Brennan ended the call. She didn't want Booth to lose his temper with his mother as he was upset enough, so she took the reins. Partners have each other's backs. That's what Booth taught her years ago.


	4. Searching Beyond The Obvious

_**So...we haven't checked in on Aubrey and Jessica for a bit, so what's going on in their world? Plus, Booth and Cam have small roadblocks in their path. What happens next?**_

* * *

 **Wednesday, December 13, 2017**

It was 6:30 AM when Jessica arrived with Hodgins, Cam, and Brennan at the Prince William Forest outside Triangle, Virginia. Hodgins got coffee and croissants for the lab team but they were still half asleep, even Brennan by the time they arrived at the site. However, the cold air perked them up when they all left the van.

Going into professional mode, all grabbed their gear. Jessica grabbed hers as well as a tarp for Hodgins to lay on and they walked the short distance to the body, which was half immersed in a small creek that hadn't fully frozen over yet.

"Well, flesh for Cam, Bones for Dr. B and Jessica, and some nice bugs for me." Hodgins said with glee while going through his kit.

"You're too happy this morning, Curly." Jessica yawned.

Hodgins lowered himself to the tarp laid out for him when a technician turned on a spotlight. "Hey, gotta love your work, no matter what time of day."

"Okay, Curly." After setting up, the lab group began their work. Pointing to a broken part of the skull, Brennan turned to her intern. "Ms. Warren, what does it possibly tell us when a skull is submerged in water, but a large part is still missing?"

"That he was hit with a blunt instrument and the water caused the missing parts of the skull to possibly explode out at impact. There's a possibility that they are still in the creek. Hopefully, the current, although slowed because of the cold, hasn't pushed them too far down stream."

"Good work, Ms. Warren."

"I'll look up the variables and perhaps we can have Angie do it while she's at the lab doing the reconstruction. If not, she can do that research and scenario from our home computer."

"Hey there folks, so what can you tell me…hey Jessica."

Startled, Jessica turned to see Aubrey in professional mode with his notepad. He was also staring at her and there was a smile on his face. ' _Was it for her?'_

Blushing, Jessica grinned in return. "H-hi, Aubrey."

"So, what brings you out here?" Aubrey asked before inwardly groaning. _'What brings you out here? How stupid is that? She's here to work, Dumbass.'_

"I'm here working. Are you working this case?" Jessica immediately felt foolish _. 'Of course he's the agent on the case. He's the one here. Duh!'_

"Ms. Warren, I think it's safe to assume that Aubrey will be the lead agent. Aubrey, it's obvious that my intern is here working." Brennan looked at them like they were nuts before going back to work.

However, Cam and Hodgins didn't miss the looks and the stuttering. They'd heard from Booth that Aubrey had broken up with the profiler and the entomologist decided to push for some info.

"So Aubrey…" Hodgins gingerly started to pull a bug off the remains. "Do you think you'll pull in Karen for this case?"

Aubrey cleared his throat. "Um, no… don't plan on it. I'm sure she's too busy with other cases. Besides, there are other profilers in the BRIU if we need one."

"I would think she would jump at the chance to work with you, Aubrey. In her own words, _'Aubrey is so cool…and amazing…'_ " Hodgins managed to loosen the bug. "Ah… _Diploperla duplicate_. The Perlodid stonefly. Judging by the way this little guy looks, our victim has been here about 72 hours."

"Well, Karen is really busy…and…we're…kind of…not seeing each other anymore." Aubrey turned to Brennan, wanting to change the subject. "So what can you tell me about our victim?"

"Judging by the pelvic inlet, this a male Caucasian. Ms. Warren, check the teeth and tell me about what this victim's age was."

Aubrey watched as Jessica felt carefully, her eyes scrunched very cute like in concentration. "I would put his age as mid-forties?"

Brennan checked after Jessica. "Very good Ms. Warren. What else are the teeth telling us?"

Jessica examined closely. "I'm seeing few dental caries…teeth are nice and straight…the victim had good dental care, so I think we can rule out a transient."

"Excellent Ms. Warren."

"Thank you, everyone." Aubrey made notes. "I need to talk to the sheriff for a few minutes. Since we're on federal land, I have to break it to him that I'm taking over jurisdiction."

Jessica watched him go and observed him speaking to a uniformed officer. She was so engrossed that she didn't hear her name right away until Brennan yelled it.

"Ms. Warren! Please focus on the remains instead of Agent Aubrey, please."

Embarrassed, she focused back on her work, but she couldn't keep the glee to herself. _'He and Karen broke up? That's awesome…but he was reluctant to talk about it. Maybe he's devastated. I shouldn't be happy for that.'_

Meanwhile, Aubrey was only half listening to the sheriff as he complained about losing jurisdiction _. 'She was blushing…at me…but then Karen came up. Telling everyone I broke up with her at a crime scene…I am good at saying the wrong thing at the wrong time, aren't I?'_

 ***/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/***

For the next couple of hours, both kept sneaking peeks at the other. It wasn't until the body was put in the van that Hodgins took the bull by the horns.

"Jessica, can you let Aubrey know that we're taking the remains back to the Jeffersonian?"

"Yeah…yeah. Be right back." Keeping her glee to herself, the intern walked over to where Aubrey was talking to one of the technicians. When he was done, she tapped his shoulder.

"Hey there, Jess."

"Hey yourself, Superman."

Aubrey combed his hair back. "It was…cool that you were working today."

"You, too. Um…we're taking the remains back to the lab now. We'll let you know the identity as soon as we can. Hodgins is calling Angela on our way back to come in and help with the ID."

"Cool. So…I'll check you out later…check you later!" Aubrey corrected himself _. 'Dumbass!'_

Jessica giggled. "I'll check you later, too, Aubrey."

As the redhead walked away, Aubrey couldn't take his eyes off her. _'She called me Superman.'_

As Jessica assisted in loading the equipment, she giggled. _'He called me Jess.'_

 ***/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/***

Three hours later, Hodgins was in Angela's office. The Angelatron was running face recognition software as she breast fed their newborn son. "Ang, you had to be there. They were…cute and…giggly with each other. When he said he broke up with Karen, I saw Jessica perk up even more. He almost stammered every time he spoke to her. Most of all, they were checking each other out when they thought no one was looking."

"Thank God." Angela shifted her baby slightly. "It's about time they worked things out. They never should have broken up in the first place."

"Angie, Aubrey was going to LA and Jessica couldn't transfer her program. When our squintern realized he stayed and she wanted to ask him about the two of them getting back together, Aubrey refused to talk to her, remember?"

"Yeah, but he was hurt…and Karen in his ear didn't help." Holding Jeffrey up against the cloth on her shoulder, she began burping their son. "Karen was the one who talked her into dumping Aubrey so he wouldn't feel obligated to stay, remember? That still pisses me off."

"Well, she's gone now. Maybe now they can be friends again." Hodgins saw his wife's big brown eyes light up. "Angie…what's going on in that devious mind of yours?"

"They both broke up with their significant others within a two-week time span? They still love each other, Hodgins, but they need help…"

"Angie…no matchmaking. Come on. They seem to be working it out on their own. You mean well, but you could mess things up."

"No, not matchmaking. Just a nudge." When Hodgins began to protest, Angela stepped in. "Hear me out, okay?"

Hodgins listened with skepticism but once she presented her idea, he had to concede it was a good one. "Well, it solves the problem of getting rid of them since Billy won't be making it tomorrow night now…"

"See, I'm good at this kind of thing…"

"All right, Angie. A nudge, but you can't interfere after that, Angie. Promise me."

"Angela rolled her eyes. "I won't as long as Karen keeps her nose out of their shit."

"Where are the tickets?"

The artist pointed with her head. "They're in my top drawer. Aubrey should be here in the next hour for an update, so I'll take care of him and you take care of Jessica."

"Can do." Just as Hodgins finished speaking, Jeffrey gave a strong burp.

"Oh, good boy." Angela rubbed the baby's back.

Hodgins wheeled over to his family and gently caressed his son. "Yeah…that's my boy..."

 ***/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/***

Aubrey had a folder with him as he practically skipped to the elevator to head over to the lab. Seeing Booth with his coat on waiting, he greeted his friend. "Hey Booth."

Booth noted the younger man's happy disposition. "Hey yourself. Heading out?"

"Yeah, I have to drop this off to Dr. B and Cam, then Angela is going to give me an update before going home so the baby can take a nap."

Already briefed on his demeanor at the crime scene with Jessica by Brennan and Cam already, Booth decided to tease him a bit. "You know, I'm heading there as well, so I can drop that off and save you a trip if you like."

Not wanting to lose his excuse to see Jessica at the lab, Aubrey waved him off. "It's all right, Booth. I like getting personal updates. I'm sure you have more important things to do."

Booth had to work hard not to chuckle. "It's no trouble at all, Aubrey. I don't mind helping friends. Running an FBI division is a busy job."

"It's okay, I've got it."

 _'Cam was right. He's interested in Jessica again.'_ Booth held back a laugh. "Do you want to ride over with me?"

The doors opened and the two men entered. "How about I drive? That way you can go to lunch with Dr. B afterwards without worrying about me."

"Bones can take me back to work…all right, that works." Booth slapped Aubrey's back. "You know, you're a good FBI agent, Aubrey…shuffling me around, taking the time to visit for personal updates instead of a phone call."

"Yeah…yeah, that's me." Aubrey gulped.

 ***/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/***

"So our vic is a civilian worker at the Pentagon?" Aubrey exhaled. "I hate government employee cases…"

"Well, it will be messy for sure." Angela signed off on Aubrey's paperwork. "Before I take the baby home, I have something for you if you're interested."

"What is it?"

"Well, it's Star Wars related." Angela pulled something out of her drawer and gave it to Aubrey. "It's a ticket to the midnight premiere of the new movie tomorrow night at the Jeffersonian IMAX theater. This gets you in thirty minutes before general admission and first dibs on seats."

"Cool…thanks…wait, why aren't you using it?"

"I'm not into Star Wars. We got them for my father to see it while in town, but the band had to cancel a show a couple of weeks back and could only reschedule for Thursday. He's not happy to miss the premiere and I would hate for this to go to waste. Do you mind going by yourself?"

He would prefer to not go alone, but one must do what one must for the greatest film series of all time. "I'm all right with it."

"I'm glad." Angela gave him the ticket. "Remember to use your Jeffersonian parking decal so you don't get dinged in the 2 hour parking by Security. They're training a bunch of new guards who are starting this week."

Aubrey nodded in understanding. "Will do."

 ***/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/***

"Your father-in-law can't go? That's too bad." Jessica said as she held the movie ticket. "Do I owe you anything? I know you got these on the employee discount but this still must have cost a lot."

"Not a big deal. Consider it a thanks for helping us out with Michael Vincent when we need it. Is it okay you're going alone?"

 _'It would be more fun with Superman, but I'll see the midnight premiere of The Last Jedi naked if I have to.'_ Jessica thought. "Yeah. With school ending this week, I was off tomorrow and I planned to stand in line at the movie theater by my place after I finished helping Dr. B with our class's final exam. However, having the Gold Pass is much better because I'll get an amazing seat and the IMAX here is awesome. Thanks, Curly."

"Sure thing." Hodgins moved to the next part of the plan. "Hey, how about joining me for lunch? Angie has to get Jeffrey home or else she would join me."

Jessica had a sandwich and leftover soup, but they didn't sound very good. "Sure. The diner?"

"Always." Hodgins looked at his phone. "See you at the Ookey Room when you're done here."

"Okay, thanks."

 ***/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/***

Angela had Jeffrey in his carrier when she noticed Aubrey wasn't following her out. "Aubrey, where are you going?"

"Um…going to find Dr. B for an update."

Angela wanted to keep him away from Jessica to avoid spoiling the surprise. "Well, she doesn't know anything new. Besides she just left with Booth for lunch."

"Oh…hey, there's Cam. I can talk to her." Aubrey said before Arastoo walked in and greeted his wife. "Oh, she's going to be leaving…perhaps, Jessica could give me some insight."

"So…you want to see Jessica, huh?" Angela couldn't stop herself from having a little bit of fun. "So…are you two working things out now that Karen is history? Will we see you two making out under Booth and Brennan's mistletoe at Christmas?"

"No…no…I just…like her insights is all. We can be professional. Besides, she just broke up with her boyfriend." Aubrey stammered.

 _'You are fooling no one, Special Agent Aubrey.'_ Angela smiled. "Well, Hodgins took her to lunch as a thank you for working so hard today. Do you want me to leave a message before I go home?"

"No…no…that's fine. Um, I can email her later. Thanks." A blushing Aubrey reluctantly left the lab area.

When he was gone, Angela sent a text to her husband, whom she assumed had already completed his part.

 ** _Aubrey has his ticket. Come tell me goodbye._**

Hodgins wheeled out to his spouse. "Jessica has her ticket. She is finishing her examination in the Bone Room."

"Good."

"Angie, what if they speak before tomorrow night? He may text her you know and the surprise will be ruined."

"Brennan said all the SACs have some all-day meeting tomorrow with the FBI Director, so Aubrey will be too busy to come around here. Jessica won't be here because she's going to be helping Brennan with her class's final exam."

"You really think this is going to work, Ang?"

"Yeah, I think it will. It's obvious that they're still crazy about each other, Hodgins. The way he just stammered and tried to go see her only proves that he's trying to get the courage up to make his move. To have them get back together for Christmas would be so cool…and so right." Angela picked up the carrier holding their half-asleep son. "Hodgins, you know I'm right...Jeffrey knows I'm right."

The scientist nodded. "Of course, Dear. Now I'll let you go because our son is out like a light."

The couple kissed each other goodbye. "Bye Hodgins."

Hodgins waved to his wife and watched the two head out back towards the employee entrance. He chuckled until Jessica came up behind him. "Ready for lunch, Curly?"

"Yes, ma'am I am. The diner, here we come."

"Can we ride in your special car?" Jessica asked as they walked out. "I like how the doors open like a DeLorean."

Hodgins smiled with pride. "Hell yes. My car is awesome."

 ***/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/***

Later that night, Cam, Arastoo, and the boy sat down to their dinner. After everyone began eating, Cam started talking.

"So, our first Christmas is coming up. Do you boys want a traditional Christmas dinner or maybe just munchies?"

"I want ham!" Isaiah yelled.

"I want Pizza Rolls!" Jordan chimed in.

"Well, perhaps we can split it down the middle." Cam turned to Tyler, who was quiet. "Tyler, what would you like to eat?"

"Whatever."

"Tyler, I sure there is something you want? I know you like turkey. What about a turkey, ham, a couple of sides and some munchies?"

"I don't care. It's just another day, right Dad? You don't celebrate it."

Arastoo debated on what to say. "While as a Muslim I don't celebrate Christmas, I do enjoy the spirit of it and enjoy participating in some of the activities. I've always enjoyed the holiday dinner that Dr. Brennan has at her house every year that she invites all the interns to attend. I'm also a big fan of having a quiet Christmas with you guys and your mom—"

"She's not my mom! Beating it into my head won't change things!" Tyler got up and stormed to his bedroom.

The atmosphere was quiet and awkward as the four looked at each other. "I'm-I'm sorry guys. I should have been more sensitive…" Arastoo said.

"Tyler needs to quit being so mean. I like having you as my new mom, Cam." Isaiah said. "Mom's been gone four years. He can't hate Christmas forever because of it."

Puzzled, Cam looked at her middle son. "Isaiah, what did you mean by that?"

Isaiah realized what he said. "Um…just that our mom isn't around for Christmas, that's all."

Arastoo and Cam saw him gesture to Jordan, who was enjoying his dinner immensely. Arastoo took the lead. "Well, that's very sad. Maybe we can make it better for him this year."

"Doubt it." Isaiah said with a full mouth. "He usually hid in his room all day at all of our foster homes. Our foster parents sometimes didn't care much anyway."

"Isaiah, don't eat with your mouth full. That's rude…" Jordan replied, causing a laugh to spread around the table.

The rest of the meal was pleasant and when done, the boys helped Cam and Arastoo clear the table. As she was going to make up a plate for Tyler, Arastoo took over. "I'll take it to him. I think we need to talk."

Cam exhaled. "Arastoo, I don't want to push him—"

"Cam, I understand that, but he needs to also respect you. His attitude towards you since we came back from Mississippi in August has grown more discourteous and out-of-line. I know you're trying to be understanding and because you asked me to, I've held off on talking to him, but I've been patient enough. We are his guardians now and he will respect you in our house."

"Arastoo…"

"Cam, enough." Arastoo replied quietly.

When he heated up Tyler's dinner from earlier, Arastoo grabbed a fork and took it upstairs to the closed door at the end of the hall and knocked on the door. "Tyler? I've got your dinner. Can I come in?"

"Yeah."

Opening the door, he saw his oldest sitting on the bed playing with his phone. "I'm going to put this on the desk here, all right?"

"Sure."

Arastoo did just that as Tyler continued to play on his phone. Steeling himself, he did what had to be done.

"Tyler, I know you're still getting used to Cam and myself as your parents and we know that it's going to take time until you're comfortable. However, the way you've been treating her has gone on long enough."

"The law says she's my adoptive mother, but not my mom."

"Very true, but you will treat her with respect. I'm sorry that Christmas is a sad time for you with your mother gone, but you will not push your feelings onto your siblings, understand? Nor will you continue to belittle all of Cam's efforts with you. Yes, it's going to take time, but she's doing the best she can to be respectful to your feelings and starting now, you'll do the same in return."

"What if I don't? Are you doing to put us back in foster care like the other parents did when they got sick of us?"

Arastoo sat on the bed. "No, you're not going back to foster care. You're my son…and you always will be. Cam loves you as her own as well. She just wants to go right by you, Tyler. She hasn't wanted to push you but I won't stand by any longer and watch you be rude to her."

"She's not my mom." Tyler went back to playing on his phone until Arastoo grabbed it from his hands. "Hey!"

"Either you change your attitude or this phone will be the first thing to go, followed by your tablet and all the other nice stuff we can afford to buy you." Arastoo got up. "Oh, and another thing. You don't have to love Christmas, but you won't be nasty to everyone else in this house that does and make them sad. If you can't say anything nice, say nothing at all."

Opening the door, the anthropologist turned around. "Bring your plate down and put it in the dishwasher when you're done."

After his door was shut, Tyler wiped a tear that fell. Reaching over to his nightstand, he grabbed a picture of his mother and siblings that was taken in front of a Christmas tree. Unable to stop himself, the fourteen-year-old began to cry.

 ***/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/***

Thursday morning, Booth had barely started his day when his cell rang. Seeing the number, he groaned. He was about to ignore it, but he answered. "Booth."

"Seeley? This is Reggie."

"Hi Reggie. What can I do for you?"

It was quiet on the other end for a moment. "I wanted to talk to you about your mother. I'm sorry about what happened with Christine. Marianne had good intentions…"

"No, she wanted her own way so she could ease her guilt over constantly putting me and my family in last place." Booth snarked. "She went too far in making promises to my daughter that I had already said no to. I won't tolerate her using her grandchild to force my hand."

"Booth, your mother loves you. You know that, right? She's trying her best for you…"

"Well, it's not good enough. I was willing to forgive her for abandoning me and Jared without so much as a nod for almost thirty years and I put my anger aside to attend your wedding. I've even understood her frustration with Jared—"

"He refused to talk to her, Seeley. Marianne apologized for what she did, but he wouldn't even bend an inch to be understanding like you were."

"How many times did she try, Reggie before just throwing in the towel? Once, twice…no. Three times. After that, she just gave up on him and said 'Forget it'." Booth shook his head at the man's lack of understanding. "It wasn't that Jared wouldn't speak to her, but he couldn't."

"Excuse me?"

"It was because he couldn't understand why she did what she did, Reggie. Not only did she take off on us, instead of even a phone call or birthday card, she lived her fantasy life with you and your kids while not giving us a thought. Then when he died, she couldn't even lift a finger to show up for the memorial, or even come later to pay her respects to him. Has she even called Padme to offer some condolences or any assistance? Yes, she and Jared were separated but she was her daughter-in-law."

"Booth, Padme wasn't very receptive to her the one time they met and Marianne felt it was best not to antagonize her. As for the service, she tried but it was just too upsetting for her to attend."

"But it wasn't too hard to be mother of the bride to Aggie that same day?" Booth shot back. "Your daughter's wedding was in New Hope, a forty-minute drive from Philadelphia and the wedding wasn't until 5:00 that night. She could have made an appearance, but she didn't…even a phone call on the day her younger son's ashes would be interred that day."

"I'm sorry, Booth…"

"Quit apologizing, Reggie, because it gets hollower each time I hear it. Mothers do not blow off their children the way she did…and they don't try to sugar coat and ignore what they did by attempting to buy my forgiveness and my children's affections with trips and gifts. You tolerate her disrespect of Jared and me because she raised your damn kids and you got what you needed from her."

"That's enough Booth. I've always been fair to you and you know it. Leave my kids out of this."

Booth closed his eyes. It was a cheap shot and he knew it. "I'm sorry Reggie. My last comment was uncalled for. However, I stand by everything else I've said to you. If you look past your years with my mother and instead think about what she did before you met her, perhaps you could be a little more sympathetic to my position."

"Booth…please understand that your mother was a victim…"

"No, I won't be understanding anymore. She wants to ignore what she's done and pretend it didn't happen. She wants to pretend that she didn't abandon her children to a child abuser. She wants to pretend that she didn't ignore her two sons who were raised by their grandparents because she wanted to play house with a piano player and raise his kids because they weren't a constant reminder of her past."

"Temperance was able to overlook her father's abandonment of her and they had a beautiful relationship until he died. Why can't you do the same?"

Booth counted to ten before answering. "Max and Christine majorly screwed up with Russ and Bones. However, they made a choice that was right for their children to protect them. He stayed away for years to ensure they would be safe. When he wanted to be part of her life, he let himself go to jail instead of taking off to let her know he wouldn't abandon her again and he fessed up to what he did. He didn't sugar coat it, makes excuses beyond the truth, or try to buy her affections. She didn't make it easy for him, but he dug in and worked hard to earn her trust over the last 10 years until the man died taking three bullets meant for my children…your grandchildren. As a matter of fact, where the hell was she when all that happened?"

Hearing silence, Booth continued his rant. "Christine and Hank were almost murdered by a man from my past and my father-in-law died for it. You two called when you heard but after that, my mother didn't call once to check on Bones to see how she was doing. My wife still struggles with it sometimes, including on Thanksgiving since it was the first one since he died in March. Christmas will be hard, too, but I doubt my mother cares because that damn trip to Lake Tahoe where she can show off takes top priority over my wife's…and my family's pain."

"I'm sorry, Booth. I didn't realize that Temperance was still having issues…"

"Well she is, Reggie. It's partly why we're staying home this year. We will be taking a trip to Philly on the 22nd after work to visit Pops, Grams, and Jared the next day before coming home Christmas Eve so we can visit with her parents before Midnight Mass."

"We didn't know, Booth."

"Well, Bones isn't going to volunteer that information to you. It's not her way." Booth said calmly. "Now, don't ever use my late father-in-law to score brownie points for my mother again or it will be the last time we ever speak."

"I'm sorry, Booth. I was out of line and you're right that maybe we should have checked in more often. I failed on that. I just…want our family to work things out."

 _'It shouldn't be you having to make the push, Reggie.'_ Booth thought, but also conceded the man's point. "Reggie, you're a good guy. I appreciate that you're trying to help my mother but she needs to be the one to own up to what she did, not having her husband do it for her. You have good intentions but you need to stay out of it."

It was quiet for a moment before his stepfather shocked him with what he had to way. "You're absolutely right and I apologize if my intentions went beyond where they should have. However, she's also my wife, Seeley and it's my job to stand by her. You would do the same for Temperance and you know that for a fact."

"Point taken."

"Seeley, she's really trying to make it up to you for what happened, not trying to buy you off. However, after what you've said, you have several valid points and I'll talk to her. I hope you two someday can reconcile your differences. If we don't talk before the holidays, Merry Christmas, Booth and please extend that to your wife and children. Know that the invitation to Lake Tahoe is open if you decide to come, but if you choose to maintain your original plans I hope your New Years is a good one."

Booth heard the sincerity in his stepfather's voice. "Thank you, Reggie. Merry Christmas to you, too and a Happy New Year."

The agent ended the call and sat in silence, the bustle of Homicide's bullpen distant as he thought about Reggie's phone call. He was a good man just trying to help everyone, but he couldn't do everything for his mother. As Pops would have said _, 'It's her mess to clean up, Shrimp.'_

Deciding he needed a cup of coffee, he got up only to see Cam and Arastoo at his door. "Hey you two. Something I can help you with?"

"Yeah, there is Booth." Arastoo asked. "Can we shut the door?"

"Sure." When Arastoo shut the door and the couple sat down, Booth saw their grim faces. "What's wrong? Is it Michelle or the boys?"

"Sort of, Booth." Cam replied before reciting the conversation at dinner the night before. "We wanted to ask Isaiah what he meant, but Jordan was in the room and we didn't want to pump him. Their mother's death is a sad subject for them to discuss and Jordan was only four when it happened."

Booth figured out what the visit was for. "You want me to put out some feelers on what happened, I'm assuming?"

"Yes. We know that she was murdered in December 2013 and that Tyler…found her." Arastoo said quietly. "They were in 3 different foster homes before we adopted them. Tyler's indifference to Christmas is understandable but there's something more to it. Plus, he's shutting Cam out."

"We just want to help him, Booth." Cam added.

"Yeah, I'll see what I can dig up. I just need some basic information on the mother, where it happened, and anything else you know and I'll take it from there."

After telling Booth what they know, everyone stood up. "You guy want to get some coffee before heading out?"

"I have to get to the university or else I would. Cam?"

"Yeah, why not. Dr. Brennan and Hodgins knows I'll be late going in today." Cam turned to Booth. "Can you give me a ride to the lab?"

"Sure."

"Okay, see you tonight, Cam." Arastoo kissed his wife. "Bye Booth."

"Bye Arastoo." Booth watched him go. "How about the cart in the courtyard?"

"It's a sunny day so why not?" Cam led the way. "Then you can tell me why you wanted to get coffee together. Something on your mind, Seeley?"

"Don't call me Seeley, Camille."

"Don't call me Camille." Cam said tersely before the two chuckled. "Seriously, you've got something on your mind."

Booth led them to the stairs by the elevator. "Yeah, I do. I'll go into it after we get our coffee."

 ***/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/***

Thirty minutes later, the two old friends sipped their coffee at a bench outside the FBI. "Well, that's it. Reggie called and pleaded her case. I get what he's trying to do but I'm angry. Am I being unreasonable about this?"

"I don't think so." Cam cradled her cappuccino. "You just want an acknowledgement of your feelings and for her to apologize for what she did."

"Yeah, what she did with Jared's memorial—"

"Not just for that, but also for leaving you behind to create this new life while you and Jared struggled. Facing up to your mistakes is the hardest thing someone can do, as well as facing painful parts of your past. When I saw Michelle again after Andrew was murdered, it…her rejection hurt me, but I was the one who cut off all contact with Andrew…and her."

"You two weren't married, Cam, and you had to save yourself. You made the best decision you could have made at the time."

"But Michelle wasn't my biological daughter that I raised from birth, unlike Marianne with you two. I had to face up to Michelle's pain because…it was the only way we were going to heal. Once we did, we became close. I feel for your mother because when she left, it was probably the best decision she could make. However, she never tried to contact you or send even a birthday card, even when you two became adults."

Cam looked at her oldest friend. "She chose to come back in your life because she was getting married and honestly, it eased her conscience. Of course, when you were justifiably upset upon learning that she raised another man's children instead while ignoring you two, she got indignant and blew off your concerns. You chose to attend her wedding in support, but Jared didn't, which was his right. You two forged a cordial relationship but her refusal to see what she did created distance. She was also pissed that Jared ignored her outright instead of letting her play the victim. Her family with Reggie was comfort because there were no reminders of her past."

"Yeah, I can see that."

"You know, it's like you and Angela after everything with Pelant blew over." Seeing Booth's puzzled look, Cam continued. "She consistently pushed Brennan to think the worst of you instead of using her damn brain to help find out what was going on. When the truth came out, instead of just simply saying _'I'm sorry'_ , she hid behind gestures such as helping you with your wedding and trying to pretend it didn't happen, hoping it all would go away."

Booth nodded. "I couldn't just…ignore the things she said and did, Cam. Accusing me trading Bones in for a younger model, badmouthing me behind my back…"

"And you shouldn't have. It wasn't until Angela finally came around and apologized for all that crap she said that things normalized again. Am I right?"

"Yeah." Booth conceded.

"The same with your mother, Booth. You have every right to be frustrated and annoyed with her. The fact that she's ignoring it because she doesn't like how it makes her feel and instead trying to buy your forgiveness with trips and expensive gifts is hurtful to you, and rightfully so. It still makes me mad that she stooped to promising that trip to Christine to force your hand. That's low."

"Well, Reggie understood why I was upset, so I think…he's going to talk to her. We'll see."

"Stick to your guns, Booth." Cam patted his hand. "Do what's right for you, not to appease your mother to make her feel better."

"I won't, Cam." Booth looked out in the distance. "Sometimes, I wish it was with us like it was with Max and Bones. Unlike my mother, the man acknowledged how much he hurt her and he worked all the way up until the day he died to make up for that. Not with fancy gifts, but by listening…and giving his time to her…and apologizing. He did things I wasn't happy about but he never manipulated his grandchildren to get his own way."

"Max…for all his faults…loved his children, including you, Booth." Cam pondered. "I don't know if you and Marianne will ever be like Dr. Brennan and Max, but I think she needs to face what she's done before you two can heal. I don't know if she ever will, but at least you've tried and that's all you can do. The ball is in her court now."

"Thanks, Cam." Booth put his arm around her. "Besides Bones, you're one of the best friends I've ever had. Hopefully I can help you with Tyler like you've help me with my mom."

"I hope so, Booth." Cam leaned her head onto his shoulder. "I sure hope so."


	5. It's Star Wars Time!

_**A/N: Thanks for everyone's patience with me. Month end at my job kicked my butt so I'm a little more behind than planned but I'm working hard to finish those last two chapters. Enjoy.**_

 _ **PS: If you haven't seen The Last Jedi, there are spoilers in his chapter. Also, rated a high 'T' for salty language and sexual suggestion.**_

 _ **Korean Translations**_

 **Jiralhanae** \- Retarded Lunatic

 **Gae saeki** \- Son of a bitch

 **Jotbab** \- Weak Piece of shit

 **Ttong-koo-mung** \- Butthole

* * *

Jessica stepped out of the shower happy that Thursday had arrived. Thanks to shift trades, she was off until Monday except to help Dr. B proctor an exam later this afternoon. In preparation for _The Last Jedi_ , she watched the last four movies last night, not getting to bed until almost 3:00. She was so psyched for tonight's movie that she only slept for a few hours, but she didn't care.

She got herself dried off and dressed for the day before grabbing some yogurt and berries for breakfast. She had just put a tea bag in the mug of water she heated when she was almost knocked on her butt by a loud explosion. Realizing it came from the back of her small second floor apartment, she ran the short distance and was stunned by the hole in her bathroom ceiling with another hole in her bathroom floor. Her toilet was hanging precariously over the damage and she could see into her landlord's apartment behind his grocery store. "What the hell…"

 _"Holy shit! I guess that cherry bomb wasn't dead…"_

Looking up, she saw her jackass neighbor Justin Daniels. He was a MAGA loving sexist pig who considered himself God's gift to women and always pestered her in the hallway with his so-called flirting. He was also a lazy bum whose mom paid his rent as he attended college at the University of District of Columbia…or at least showed up to classes as he preferred to spend this time trolling people on Twitter.

Infuriated at the damage, she looked. "No, it wasn't, Asshole! What kind of idiot checks if a cherry bomb is live by dropping it in his toilet when people are home! You're stupid."

"Get off your soapbox, Green Queen. He's got homeowner's insurance."

 _'I hate it when he calls me that…'_ Jessica seethed. "I hope Mr. Cho evicts you for this, you piece of crap."

The man looked down into her bathroom. "You're just frustrated since it's been at least a few weeks since you got some. Quit fighting it and just let me in your pants. You know you want me."

The redhead rolled her eyes. "Oh whatever…"

It wasn't long before Jessica she heard pounding on the upstairs apartment door. Ten seconds later, she heard the voice of Mr. Cho yelling half in English and half in Korean. Right after that, he peeked down.

"Jessica…you okay?"

"Yes, Mr. Cho. I was in the kitchen. Are you all right?"

"Fine. I will call for estimate to fix. You have place to stay while repairs going on?"

 _'Great, packing up my shit to move before Christmas.'_ Jessica grimaced. "Yes, I'll go stay with my brother or at my family's house in Bethesda. Can I help you with anything?"

"No. We'll talk later about rent for the month."

"I'm sorry this happened right before Christmas, Mr. Cho."

"Just glad you are okay, Miss Jessica. As for him, this…Jiralhanae…gae saeki…he is gone!"

Jessica thought through the rudimentary Korean she knew. "Retarded…lunatic…son of a bitch…go Mr. Cho." She muttered. "I'm going to pack some things now."

"Let me or William know if you need help, Miss Jessica."

"Hey, what about me?"

"What about you you Jiralhanae…gae saeki… jotbab… ttong-koo-mung…you are gone! You paying for all this! You out of here!"

Jessica could hear her landlord's screaming obscenities at Justin in Korean as she packed up toiletries and two weeks' worth of clothes. Having everything she needed, she packed up all of her perishable food to take with her to her family's house in Bethesda. Thank God they keep up that house for when her brothers come to visit. As she got into her vehicle to leave, she shook her head at disbelief. A neighbor's cherry bomb in a toilet damaging her apartment could only happen to her.

Leaving Cho's Grocery, she made her way through the typical Friday traffic of the nation's capital. As Wisconsin Ave left DC and entered Maryland, she thought about her plans.

She was prepared to spend several hours outside waiting at her local theater three miles away from her apartment so she could get a good seat. However, thanks to that Gold Pass from Curly, she's going to see _The Last Jedi_ at the IMAX theater at the Jeffersonian and was amazing. That Gold Pass also got her inside 30 minutes early so she could get the best seat in the house. Arriving at the driveway, she turned and made the half mile drive towards the old farmhouse she grew up in.

Their family property neighbored her old educational cooperative. Since their family was so large, she didn't live up in the big house until she came home to start American University three years earlier. It wasn't too bad though growing up where she was as they just needed cut through the path through the woods to school.

Her mother's mental issues and parents' divorce made life difficult, but her father was a wonderful man and her five brothers helped her growing up. That life sometimes made it difficult for her regarding relationships as she found it hard to let down her guard. Finally deciding it wasn't worth the pain, casual relationships became her rule. No risk of annoying, clingy boyfriends, she had her freedom…and she wouldn't get her heart broken.

Until James Aubrey.

He broke all her rules the day she met him in Angela's office. He intrigued her from the start. What she meant to be a friendship with a possible side benefit of sex turned into much more than she anticipated. In spite of her efforts, she fell in love with him…and she didn't realize it until after she broke up with him.

Their breakup wasn't all her, though. She knew what they had was special and different, but he never fully trusted her. More than once, he felt the need to reassure her about how he wasn't his father and always changed the subject when it came to him. It hurt that Aubrey didn't trust her enough to confide in her.

That lack of trust was why when he said she was serious about her, she had her doubts. If he couldn't talk to her about things like his father, could they move into a serious relationship?

On the other hand, he trusted Karen…and Booth…and everyone else when it came to his offer to go to LA. Everyone but her knew as she didn't find out until two weeks after the offer. He avoided her during that time and it hurt her once more. He didn't want to talk about it and she took it as a sign that maybe he wasn't that serious about her.

His freak out when she caught Cam's bouquet reinforced that. She was in shock, but to see him get so shitfaced over it that he almost vomited hurt more than she led him to believe. Him asking her to join him at a crime scene the next morning and then tune her out made things worse, but she still loved him enough to think about going.

Plans changed with Dr. B told her there was no way to transfer her internship. The conditions of her fellowship were that she was to study at the Jeffersonian under Temperance Brennan.She didn't know what to do, but she made a bigger mistake by talking to Karen.

 _"Jessica, do what is right for you, but Aubrey…wants this promotion more than anything. He's ambitious and the Los Angeles Field Office is a major step up, especially to run his own division. Forcing him to stay because your program can't transfer to UCLA doesn't seem right, you know?"_

 _"What are you saying, Karen?"_

 _"Honestly, you need to let him go. He may be willing to stay in DC for you, but he'll resent you if you force him to give up this amazing promotion. If you really love him, you want him happy, right?"_

She cried for an hour before getting her courage up to do what she needed to do. His face almost killed her as it looked like she broke his heart, but then he got a phone call about the case. Aubrey left her in the interrogation room alone. That made her see that she did the right thing. Karen was right. When you love someone, you put their happiness above your own.

Now, almost nine months later, she was still in love with him. He was her best friend…a person that still held a place in her heart. She loved her other friends, but not like him. Ever since Thanksgiving, she wondered if perhaps they could someday find that closeness again.

Him calling her _Jess_ at the scene two days ago gave her more hope. It was a nickname she never allowed from anyone else…only him. When their friends were around, he mostly called her Jessica but when they were alone, it held meaning.

He was not only her friend, but he was her lover in a way no one else would compare. He was the first man she never faked an orgasm with. He was tender, passionate, and exciting and always up trying new things, but most of all, with him she finally experienced the joy of making love. Between those private times and his cat Skinner, she lived the dream.

Maybe someday, they could have that again, but for now, she wanted his friendship back. She knew that he would be going to a midnight showing of _The Last Jedi_ also pending a case coming up. Maybe before Christmas they would run into each other and have one of their Star Wars debates over tonight's movie.

Maybe after Christmas they could have coffee and have that talk that was months overdue.

Turning off the motor, she grabbed her stuff and went inside. Getting her phone, she let her brother Stephan know via text that she was staying at the house for a few weeks so he didn't have to worry about checking on it. Getting settled in, she made a cup of tea and enjoyed the old house before gathering her things and heading back into town for Dr. B's exam.

 ***/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/***

All throughout the day, Aubrey was antsy as time seemed to almost stop the closer it came to midnight. He kept his head on straight as he fought to stay awake during the all-day inservice he and Booth attended with the other SACs at their field office. Finally 6:00 arrived and he could escape.

"Whoa Aubrey…where's the fire?" Booth chuckled.

"Hey, the newest chapter of the great movie sage of all time in less than six hours, Booth."

"Well, don't forget about Sunday dinner."

Aubrey turned to his friend while walking away. "I'll never forget Sunday dinner with Dr. B cooking, Booth."

After stopping at his office to gather his things, he knocked on the doorway to his ASAC's office. "Genny, I'm heading out. I'm coming in to work on stuff during the weekend, but if you need anything before Monday."

"Okay, Boss, enjoy your movie and Friday off."

Aubrey walked to the stairs and made his way to the parking garage. Deciding he was in the mood for takeout, he opened the Founding Fathers app on his phone. Ordered his usual, he finalized the order and was almost giggling with glee as he left his employment.

He still couldn't believe he scored a Gold Pass for the midnight premiere of _The Last Jedi._ The Jeffersonian's IMAX theater was freaking awesome and Star Wars would be amazing on that screen. He would get in and get a kick ass seat. It sucked to go alone, but no one else loved the movies like he did.

Except one person, but she was probably going to the theater near her apartment. Jessica had been on his mind constantly since yesterday. Perhaps there was hope for them to be friends again…with the possibility of more down the line. After Christmas, maybe they could have a talk that was long overdue.

Arriving at Founding Fathers, he enjoyed a beer as the kitchen completed his order. He wasn't there 10 minutes when an annoying voice got his attention.

"Hi Aubrey."

Turning, he saw Karen standing there before retuning his attention to the TV. "Hello Karen." Aubrey said politely as he sipped his beer.

She waited for more, but when he continued to watch the sports updates on the bar television, she sat on the stool next to him. "How are you?"

"Fine, Karen." Aubrey hoped she would go away. It had been such a relief when he broke up with her and he was finally able to relax again without the fear of her going off on him for stupid stuff.

"So…what have you been up to?" Karen asked. "Me, I've had so many cases…haven't had much time to go out socially. How about you?"

 _'Go away, Karen…I'm not in the mood for you to pump me for information about my dating habits and now non-existent sex life.'_ Aubrey thought. "Work has kept me busy."

"I've heard you caught the Masters case. Civilian contractor at the Pentagon? Must be crazy. I've been waiting for you to call me and ask for a profile. A case that important can't be messed up. So, how about I come by your office tomorrow-"

Aubrey wasn't in the mood to be steamrolled. "I don't need a profiler, Karen. If I decide that I do, I'll call Agent Tanner and have him assign one to me."

"I'm sure it's been lonely for you, Aubrey at night in that cold…lonely bed all alone. No one should be alone for the holidays…" The profiler put a hand on his leg. "What do you say? Follow me back to my place…we'll fuck…and then perhaps breakfast tomorrow morning…"

 _'God she's so crude.'_ Aubrey removed her hand from his leg. "No thank you. Not interested, Karen. We're history. Let's just keep it there."

"But Aubrey…" Karen lowered her lips to his ear. "You fuck so good…I need your hands on me…and in me…"

Aubrey finally smelled the liquor on her breath and rolled his eyes. "Okay, you've been drinking so I'll give you a pass, but you need to shut it down. We're colleagues only. We are not friends and definitely not fuck buddies."

"Aubrey…that's not nice…" Karen pouted.

"Aubrey, here's your order." The bartender put it on the bar. "Sorry about the delay."

"It's all right, Mike." Aubrey signed his credit card receipt. "See you later."

Aubrey walked quickly out of the bar and got into his vehicle. Before Karen could try to catch up with him, he started the engine and pulled out quickly.

"That…was a close one. Thank God I never gave her my key."

 ***/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/***

It was almost 7:00 when Booth finished up his paperwork. With him taking an extended vacation from December 20th until January 3rd, he wanted to keep on top of all his administrative duties. He would be popping in December 31st to do some payroll but for the most part it would be an extended vacation for him, Bones, and the kids as the lab would be closed also except for a case.

December 31st…New Years Eve…his mother's offer of Lake Tahoe.

Thinking of her end run with Christine still burned him, although he softened slightly after talking with Reggie. He was a good guy who wanted everyone to be happy, but he also had no idea what he and Jared went through until Pops and Grams saved them. While the musician understood abandonment because his first wife took off on him, Dan, and Aggie when they were young, the difference was that he had Marianne to fill that role and they knew she was alive.

Booth was relieved and filled with joy when his mother first came to DC three years ago. His father drove her away with his alcoholism and abusive behavior and now she would be part of his life again. He was happy for her that she found love afterwards with Reggie, but to find out that she helped raise his kids without a backwards glance to him and Jared was devastating.

When she threw it back at him, he was dumbfounded, but after talking to Brennan plus seeing the Phillie Phantic gift for Christine, he attended her wedding while Jared refused to go. It was a nice ceremony, with the highlight being Bones catching the bouquet. He was gracious when he was introduced to his new stepsiblings but felt left out when Aggie talked about how wonderful Marianne was as a mother.

Yes, she attended his wedding several months later, but she complained at the receptions about Pops being merely polite to her and making her feel like an outsider. He didn't know what his wife said, but she didn't complain again. His mother was also upset that their friends avoided her, but they were being polite for him and he honestly didn't care.

When Reggie was in town for a show, he and Bones would go have dinner with them but he wasn't comfortable with the big family deals with her stepchildren. Jared had still refused to speak to Marianne and after a few tries, she just gave up, which didn't seem right to him. Sometimes he wondered if finding out the truth about their mother was one of the reasons Jared started drinking again and went down the path that led to his death.

The fact that she couldn't even bother to attend the small memorial service he set up after getting Jared's ashes was the straw that broke the camel's back. Yes, it was Aggie's wedding day, but the service in Philadelphia was an hour away from where the ceremony and reception would be. She could have made the small drive and still been at the ceremony that weekend.

Bones asked him if he scheduled it on purpose to prove a point and maybe he did, but that didn't matter. Not only did she ditch the service, but also posted Aggie's wedding photos, including several with her playing mother of the bride on her Instagram. Once again, she chose her perfect kids over her flawed sons that were part of a past she didn't like to acknowledge.

When she called after Jared's service three days later with an excuse that she just couldn't _'handle the emotional service'_ , he read her the riot act before hanging up. Since then, she had been calling him, offering gestures as tickets and lodging to Reggie's concerts in areas like the Catskills, inviting Bones and himself to join them in the Bahamas, and wanting him and his family to join them in family trips with Reggie's children.

Did Marianne love him? Yes, he believed so, but not enough to openly acknowledge that she made mistakes. It was easier to be with her perfect family, and he would give her that. On the other hand, he preferred his family, the one with rock and roll dads, conspiracy freak bug boys, old friends, a bottomless pit, his children, and his Bones.

He was about to turn off his computer when the phone rang. Groaning, he answered. "Booth."

Listening, he lit up. "So, you're sending me copies of the entire case file?...Yeah, I appreciate it…yeah, I understand. It doesn't leave my office except for me to tell the adoptive parents…so when can I expect…email tomorrow…great…can you give me a brief version of what happened?"

Booth listened and his stomach turned cold. "Holy shit…oh my…that is…no, we knew that she died around the holidays but…it explains a lot. Yeah, thanks again for reaching out to your friend at the Jackson police department, Mickey. Listen, Merry Christmas…yeah, I'll send Bones your love. Tell Jean we said hi. Bye."

Booth hung up the phone and sighed. What his former boss and friend Mickey Santana told him was one of the saddest, most heart wrenching things he had ever heard. It explained a lot about Cam's eldest son and his attitude of late. Mickey's friend was going to scan the file and email it to him tomorrow morning. After perusing it, he would call Cam and Arastoo and inform them. Hopefully giving them all the information won't make things worse for their family.

Feeling a need to be with his wife and children, Booth shut off his computer and lights before heading home for the evening.

 ***/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/***

It was 10:30 when Aubrey arrived at the IMAX area of the Jeffersonian. He had to fight for a parking spot and was lucky to find one, albeit far away. He felt dismayed when he saw the long line that had already formed. Walking up, he flagged down a security guard working.

"Excuse me, where's the line for the Gold Passes?"

"Right here. If you don't have one, you have to wait over there."

Aubrey's vision followed the security guard's gesture and his eyes grew large at the huge crowd waiting behind the fence. "Holy shit."

"Good luck." The guard walked away.

Aubrey calculated his odds and figured while he still had a good chance to have an decent seat, the odds went down considerably. Deciding to make the best of it, he grabbed his phone and began reading. As he was halfway through a new Star Wars fanfiction, he heard his name called. Looking up, he saw Jessica waving at him from near the head of the line.

"Aubrey, come here!"

He was puzzled until she waved him towards her again. Realizing that she wanted him to stand with her, he went for it. Seeing that she was only a handful of people away from the start, he was excited when he got there.

"Jess, how did you get so far ahead in line?"

The redhead smiled. "I got here after Dr B's class ended at 4:00 and ate the theater cuisine for dinner. I was in luck because I had this nice wall to lean against and sit at to read my phone."

A security guard walked up. "Hey, no cutters. Sir, go back to the end of the line."

Jessica stood up at the very young and obviously new employee. "My boyfriend was meeting me here, sir. He's an FBI agent and he just got out of work. Don't believe me? I'll call Dr. Temperance Brennan and Dr. Jack Hodgins of the lab and you can talk to them about it."

The security guard stiffened at the names tossed before walking away. Laughing, Aubrey turned back to Jessica. "Thanks for that. Who are you with?"

"Just me." Holding up her ticket, Jessica continued. "I was going to go to the theater by my apartment, but Hodgins gave me this yesterday since Billy couldn't use it. Seeing it here in 3D is going to be awesome. Who are you meeting here?"

"No one. The people we know Jess don't appreciate Star Wars…well, maybe Hodgins, but he wanted to take Michael Vincent to it this weekend because he has school tomorrow. Wait…" Aubrey held up his Gold Pass. "I got this from Angela because Billy was out of town."

"You don't think that…" Jessica asked. _'Curly…what were you up to?'_

 _'Angela…'_ Aubrey pondered before shaking it off. "I'm sure they were just being nice. Wasting a Gold Pass to this movie is just…wrong."

"Angela and Curly know that we love these movies. We have great friends."

"Yeah, we do. Christine loves Star Wars, too and she wants me to take her during her Christmas break." Aubrey shrugged. "Booth thanked me for it."

"That's really cool of you, Superman."

Aubrey combed back his hair as he was suddenly embarrassed. "Well, when I dated Karen, I didn't spend as much time with the kids as I used to. She was uncomfortable with them and I don't think Christine or Michael Vincent liked Karen. I'm just glad that's all over."

"I'm glad you're happy, Aubrey." Jessica said with sincerity.

"Happier than I've been in a long time, now that I'm here with you…" Aubrey blurted out. When he saw the redhead blush, he stammered. "I mean…I've missed hanging out with you…doing fun stuff like this, you know…science fiction movies…"

"I know what you mean. I feel the same way..."

The two exes stared at each other until a voice behind them broke their spell. "Get a room, will you guys?"

Aubrey turned to look at the young man. "Why don't you get a girlfriend, move out of your mother's basement, and mind your own business?"

The man took a step forward. "Why don't you make me, skinny ass?"

Aubrey pulled out his badge and showed it to the young man. "Anything else you want to say?"

"No…" The heckler muttered as Jessica giggled.

"Okay, Gold Passes, doors are open!"

 _'Maybe we can sit together….'_ Jessica turned to Aubrey as they waited their turns. "Hey you want to get some seats and then one of us goes to get the munchies, like we used to do?"

 _'She wants to sit with me!'_ Aubrey held back his glee. "Sounds good, Jess. Large popcorn with extra butter, gummy bears, large Coke, right?"

"Sounds great. And the usual for you?"

Aubrey gave the man at the door their tickets. "A hot dog, nachos, Sour Patch kids, Almond Joy, Twizzlers, M & Ms, and a Cherry Coke ICEE sounds pretty good…if I can have some of your popcorn."

"It's a deal." Jessica replied as the two entered the theater.

 ***/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/***

It was almost 3:00 AM when Aubrey and Jessica came out of the theater, amazed at what they saw. "I can't believe that Luke is gone!" Aubrey said.

"I love that they got Leia in this movie…" Jessica sniffled. "I still miss her…"

Aubrey pulled out his handkerchief and gave it to her. "Here…"

"Thank you." Jessica wiped her eyes. "The part with Luke and Kilo Ren almost had me fooled, but it hit me about half way through the battle that he looked different."

"Yeah, that battle was epic." Aubrey helped her make her way across the parking lot. "Where are you parked at, Jess?"

"Oh, I parked in the employee garage on the other side and cut across the courtyard."

The agent gave her a look. "Jess, that's dangerous to do that alone…"

"Aubrey, the security here is tight and I didn't want to deal with this mess…" She gestured to the cars fighting to get out. "I would have been here past 4:00 at this rate."

"Well, at least let me walk you to your Jeep. This parking lot should be slightly cleared out by the time I get back."

Jessica had a momentary thought of them alone in the moonlight before clearing her throat. "Okay. Thank you."

The two exes made their way around the side of the building and to the gated courtyard. Jessica pulled out her badge and they entered the large landscaped area. It wasn't far in when a sound emanated from Aubrey's stomach.

"Ahhhh, I'm hungry."

Jessica snorted with a smile. "When aren't you, Aubrey? Even after we made love, you always wanted to eat…"

The tension was thick for a moment until Aubrey spoke up. "Well, you usually gave me a pretty good workout, Jessica. I needed to replenish my burned calories."

They laughed together and smiled at the other, both happy to be at ease with each other again. "I've really missed hanging out with you, Aubrey. I have other friends, but you're…always so easy to talk to and we like the same things."

"I'm sure you and Samir did fun stuff, too."

Jessica shook her head. "Not really. He liked things like art galleries and frou frou dinner parties. I always felt awkward when he brought me to a work party at the Embassy."

"Why? You're smart, funny, and educated, Jess."

"Yeah, but my views tended to be more…evolved than some of the attendees. Samir always told me to watch what I said. He's a nice guy but has always been concerned with his image. Me…I've never really cared that much what others thought of me, which was usually that I was a flighty nerd slash child genius weirdo."

"Hey, I like you as a flighty nerd slash child genius weirdo."

"Thank you." Jessica pulled out her badge again and opened the door that led them towards the lab. "I liked attending parties with you because I wasn't so self-conscious, although I didn't agree with some of the other agents. I'm sure Karen fit in better with those people anyway."

Aubrey took a breath. "No, not really. You know Karen…she was…an acquired taste for people. Sometimes, her nose would be out of joint if I happened to be talking to another woman. I was talking to Dr. B at the FBI gala last October and Karen threw a fucking fit accusing me of having an affair with Dr. B and ignoring her."

"No way!" Jessica was shocked.

"Way." Aubrey replied. "I should have known then that things weren't going to work out. I still feel bad that I broke up with her before Christmas."

"Aubrey, you were nicer than most guys. If she couldn't have enough faith in you to trust you, then it's better you two are broken up." Jessica opened the parking garage door and they exited. "You're a good guy who deserves someone who…appreciates you."

 _'What about you, Jess?'_ Aubrey thought but kept to himself. "Well, thank you. You deserve the same. You know that, right?"

"I guess I do." They arrived at Jessica's Jeep Cherokee. "Would you like a ride over to your SUV? It's still going to be crowded but you won't freeze your ass off."

Aubrey was stopped from responding by his stomach growling. "Actually, I'm thinking about breakfast at the diner. How about it?"

"Aubrey, it's 15 degrees right now. You can't walk there."

"I meant you and I, Jess…I miss hanging out with you…" Seeing the redhead debating, he second guessed himself. "Never mind. It was just, I missed talking to you and I'm pretty wired anyway…"

"Actually Aubrey, breakfast sounds pretty good." Jessica smiled. "I can drive you back to your SUV when we're done."

"Am I going to get towed?"

"You still have that Jeffersonian decal that we gave you to put on your car when you're here, right?" Aubrey nodded affirmatively. "You should be fine. If not, Dr. B will call and bitch tomorrow. Now come on, pancakes sound pretty good right now. Perhaps with catnip tea."

Aubrey made his way to the passenger side and opened it. "Awww Jess…that shit stinks. Come on…please…"

"We'll see, Agent Aubrey." Jessica started the Jeep and put it into gear. "We'll see."

 ***/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/***

Later, Aubrey and Jessica were at the Royal Diner talking like old times. Several used plates occupied the table with only a plate of half eaten pancakes and some bacon remaining. The agent picked up his coffee as Jessica gestured while telling her story.

"So Samir thought he got the best of that guy, but when we came out of the pub, his car was covered in rubbers. He lost his shit!"

Aubrey almost choked on his coffee and he laughed at Jessica's story. "Wow…Samir it seems got too big for his britches…"

"Yes, he did. He bitched all the way until he dropped me off at my boarding house." Jessica finished her coffee. "But sometimes he got that way. He's a nice guy, but I know now that he's not my guy, you know."

"I know what you mean. Karen and I…we…well…there was no magical moment…"

Jessica realized what he was saying. "You two got together because you both got drunk one night, had a hook up, and you woke up at her apartment, didn't you?"

Aubrey's eyes bugged out. "How did you know?"

"A hunch." Jessica teased. "Please continue."

"So…I was scared shitless, but I thought…why not, you know? We were friends and she was nice…but we never should have tried making a relationship out of a drunken one-night stand. It was my fault for leading her on."

Jessica hated when Aubrey took on the blame for everything. "Aubrey…there were two people in that relationship. She's not stupid and not a child. You weren't ready for a relationship and she should have realized that. You're a good guy and you tried. Hopefully you two can be friends."

"Uh, no. She came onto me at Founding Fathers yesterday and crudely suggested what we could do for the night. I wasn't interested, and she pouted. I will never go there again."

Jessica stole a piece of Aubrey's bacon. "I'm sorry you two broke up, Aubrey."

"I'm not." Aubrey finished his bacon. "I'm sorry you and Samir broke up, Jess."

"Well, like I said, he wasn't my guy. I didn't want to break up with him on Thanksgiving but making that announcement without asking me first wasn't very considerate. Of course, he surprised me with the transfer to DC and…well…"

"You felt like he made the effort so you should do the same?" Aubrey finished. "Jess, to repeat what you just told me, there were two people in your relationship. He made the choice to follow you back even though you two already had an understanding about your relationship when you returned to the United States."

"I wonder if he thought maybe things would change in DC. I know now I wasn't ready for a new relationship." Jessica smiled sadly. "I had a lot of feelings from my last one."

"Yeah…me, too." Aubrey agreed before looking at his phone. "Shit, it's 6:30."

"Are you serious?" Jessica pulled out her phone. "Superman, we've been talking for over three hours. We better leave a really nice tip."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to keep you up all night, Jess…" Aubrey pulled out his wallet. "You don't have to work today, do you?"

Jessica found her wallet. "No and I should apologize to you. I'm sure you have to work today."

"No, I took today off to play it safe." Leaving a tip, Aubrey grabbed both checks only to have Jessica snag hers.

"I'm buying my own breakfast, Agent Aubrey."

Both made it to the counter to pay. "Independent as always, Jessica Warren. A very admirable trait in you."

"Thank you."

Both paid and they left. Getting into Jessica's Jeep, they drove back to the theater where Aubrey's SUV was parked. "Jess, now knowing that you're staying at your family house in Maryland, this was out of your way and I'm sorry…"

"Aubrey, I don't mind. Actually…I'm glad we ran into each other." Jessica pondered her words. "I've…missed being friends with you…a lot."

Aubrey wanted to take her hand but stopped himself. "I realized around Thanksgiving how much I missed your friendship too, Jess. I'm sorry I've cut you off. It was just too hard at the time…"

"I know. I messed up big time."

"So did I, Jessica, but we're going to fix that." Aubrey thought for a minute. "Hey, want to hang out at my place Saturday night? I've got some cool new additions to my sci-fi Blu Ray collection, plus Skinner misses you."

Her head was telling her to run away but she ignored the warnings. "Sure…just to see Skinner."

"Great. I'll text you later with a time and stuff."

"Sounds good."

Aubrey opened the door. "Well good night…or good morning I should say."

"How about good night morning, Superman."

The agent smiled brightly. "I like it."

Jessica watched him get in and when his vehicle started, she pulled out. Ten minutes into her drive back to Maryland, she made a realization.

"He didn't ask for my phone number…" the redhead smiled. "I'm still in his phone."

 ***/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/***

Aubrey entered his apartment. As he fed a hungry Skinner, he realized something. "I didn't ask if she changed her number."

Going to his phone, he looked her up in his contacts. He lost count of how many times he moved to delete her off his phone, but he could never do it. That is something he was now grateful for. He sent a text message.

 ** _Still the same number?_**

Twenty minutes later, he got a response. **_Yes it is, Aubrey. TTYL_**

The agent had a smile on his face as he went into his bedroom and stripped down to his boxers. Jumping into bed, he passed out with a smile on his face.

 ***/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/***

Jessica was grinning as she changed into her pajamas. Sipping a glass of water on her nightstand, she looked at her phone again. Pulling up pictures, she found the selfie she and Aubrey took outside the theater that they saw the Star Wars movie marathon at over a year ago.

They were friends again and Jessica was happier than she had been in a long time. Maybe someday they could be more, but right now, she was glad they were hanging out again.

Closing the curtain to the approaching sunrise, Jessica snuggled in and went to sleep, thoughts of James Aubrey in her head.


	6. Partners Have Each Others' Backs

_**Sorry for the delay. I'm polishing up the last two chapters of this Challenge story as we speak so the rest gets out quicker.**_

 _ **So Booth & Brennan are our focus this chapter as Christmas gets closer. What happens next?**_

* * *

Friday morning came too soon for Booth as he arrived at work after a fitful sleep. Pouring coffee into his Steelers mug, he thought about the task that awaited him. Talking to Cam and Arastoo about what he found out about Sara Williams was going to be hard, especially now that he had the details of the case.

What those kids must have went through, losing their mother like that before being shuffled to three foster homes. Bones said it was a miracle they weren't separated, something that happened frequently when she was in the system years before. The brothers were very close and it was obvious that Tyler took his responsibilities as the oldest very seriously.

He didn't blame the kid for his indifference towards Christmas. As the oldest, he probably saw and remembered more than his siblings. He knew that Cam and Arastoo would tread lightly with the knowledge, but it could still open a Pandora's Box that couldn't be closed again.

Stealing a donut, he walked back to his office to prepare for his day.

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

Brennan finished her meeting with Cam and Hodgins regarding the new intern schedule for the Winter 2018 semester. Brennan and Hodgins proposed a new staggered intern rotation with one working in the morning with the second working until 7 or 8 PM on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursdays to assist their students who usually worked around their college schedule and other activities. The pathologist agreed to give it a trial run. After Brennan and Hodgins made plans to coordinate their new intern schedules on the 21st, the meeting ended.

Heading back to her office, she made an informal list of tasks for the day since there were no new leads in the Masters case. _'Finish the article I was writing for Medicinal Physics Quarterly, finish grading exams…'_

When she entered her office, her thoughts abruptly changed as she was greeted with two people she didn't expect to see. "Dan…Agatha…this is a surprise."

Marianne's stepchildren stood in front of the desk. "Hello, Temperance." Dan said. "We came to talk to you if you have time."

The brunette woman stepped forward. "Please call me Aggie. Everyone else does."

"I prefer using your proper name, Agatha and yes, Dan, I do have a few minutes." She indicated for them to sit down. "What can I do for you?"

Aggie spoke first. "Temperance, we need you to talk to Seeley and get him to see reason. Mom is very upset with how he's shutting her out. He needs to get over his attitude with her."

"Really." Brennan remained neutral as she turned to the woman's older brother. "Dan…do you feel the same way?"

Dan saw the anthropologist's face and was unnerved by the look in her eyes. "Yes. Marianne just wants to be part of his life again, but he still holds the fact that she left their family against her. It's been over 30 years. It's time for him to grow up and let it go."

Brennan took a deep breath as she pondered what to say. "Grow up and let it go? Is that what you said, just now?"

Aggie misread the anthropologist's quiet words for acceptance. "Yes, Temperance. She's been a wonderful mother to us when ours didn't give us the time of day. She could be the same for him if he would just get off his high horse and let go of his holier than thou attitude."

 _'Booth said 'holier than thou' means they act like they're better than you in a bad way. They have no right to speak about him that way.'_ Standing up, Brennan gave them the stink eye. "I think it would be better if you two would get off your elevated horses and butt out of the situation. My husband's relationship with his mother is none of your concern."

"Marianne is our business when her son blows her off. If it wasn't for her marrying that ex-husband, he wouldn't even be around." Dan said haughtily. "He needs to quit acting ungrateful for the sacrifices she made for him."

Unable to hold back her anger at the siblings' ignorance and arrogant demeanor, Brennan walked over to the door and shut it before turning around. "Ungrateful? Holier than thou? If anyone right now is either of those two things, it's you and your sister, Dan. How dare you two come into my office and denigrate my husband this way?"

"I—"

Brennan slammed her hand down on the desk, startling the two siblings. "The woman you deify as this wonderful person abandoned her two sons to a mentally ill man who beat them regularly for the smallest things. She didn't call Child Protective Services…she didn't call the police…she didn't even call Hank to come take them away for their own safety. She just took off when Booth was twelve and Jared was eight because according to her, Booth was _'strong'_ and could handle it the stress that SHE COULDN'T! What kind of mother leaves her children to suffer like that?"

Dan realized that their great plan coming over here may not have been so great. "I think we need to take a step back—"

"Shut your ass, Dan!" Brennan yelled, fed up. "Unlike you two, I've seen the x-rays of the injuries my husband sustained from Edwin Booth and Marianne has no room to criticize after leaving her children to experience those horrors. Where was their mother when all this was going on? Living a new life with Reggie being a mother to you two. She didn't send ever send her sons a Christmas card, birthday cards…her sons both joined the military to serve their country without even a phone call to say _'I love you'_ or _'I'm proud of you!'_! If he and Jared weren't discovered being beaten by Hank on a surprise visit 34 years ago, they may have been both killed one day by their father."

"We're sorry about that, but—" Aggie interrupted before Brennan kept going.

"Jared became an alcoholic like his father and had terrible relationships with women. After he was dishonorably discharged from the military saving his brother's life, he began to get his life together. He even met a woman that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. Unfortunately, the work Jared had done to rebuild his life was destroyed when he began drinking again after your mother came back into his life, not to say _'I'm sorry'_ for what she did, but to get him and Booth to attend her wedding! You know what she said to Booth after he confronted her about raising you two but ignoring him and Jared?" Brennan didn't wait for the two siblings to respond. "I deserve to be happy."

Hearing no response from Dan and Aggie, she continued her rant. "Marianne got defensive because her sons were upset that she ignored them for years to raise you two, which is a very understandable emotion. On top of her ignorant and selfish stance, she was angry that Jared didn't forgive her as easily as Booth. My brother-in-law made many poor choices, but he also had a right to not see your mother. The fact that she got her nose moved out of its socket about that was short sighted of her to say the least."

 _'Nose moved out of its socket?'_ The siblings looked at each other before Dan spoke. "Would it have killed Jared to talk to her once and just see her side of things?"

Brennan crossed her arms and moved forward. Bending down to be eye level with Dan, she was internally smiling as the man began to shake. Remembering her reactions to Russ and Max coming back into her life, she hit them with full force.

"Would it have killed your mother to see her sons' side of things?" Brennan waited but there was no response from Dan. "Booth bent over behind to be understanding to her position. However, her inability to even attempt to understand his and Jared's reasonable resent of her abandoning them made him feel like she didn't feel guilty for what she did, and I agree with him. Now, we are cordial with your stepmother and we've never kept her from her grandchildren. We've also kept our disappointment with her refusal to acknowledge that she messed up to ourselves so Booth could have his mother in his life, especially since his father, brother, and his grandparents are now deceased. However, Marianne not attending Jared's memorial service was too much."

"I was getting married that day. I wanted my mother there…" Aggie faltered.

"Well, Booth wanted his mother there with him as we interred her other son's ashes near their grandparents and had a memorial service. My late father and brother joined us in Philadelphia, as well as our friends and several of my interns to be there for us, but she was nowhere to be found." Brennan turned her glare to the young woman in front of her. "She could have done both, Agatha. She chose not to and not once has she truly apologized for all the hurt she's caused my husband and his brother. We're just expected to pretend that nothing happened. It's wrong for her to expect that."

"It's not our fault Seeley is jealous that she loves us. He doesn't own her." Dan snapped back, not liking the guilt and unease his stepbrother's wife was making him feel.

"Let me put it to you this way." Brennan said quietly. "Your mother took off when you were six and four, correct?"

"Yes. She left our father for a traveling actor." Aggie said. "We've heard from her…three times since then. Thankfully, Marianne came along and helped raise us."

"Now, how would you feel if your mother came back into your life and you found out that while she ignored you, she helped raise that man's children…gave them all her attention and love…and then didn't listen to you as you expressed your hurt and tried buying your affection with trips…"

"I would be angry and hurt…a mother should never do that…" Aggie stopped as she realized Brennan's point.

"Yes, a mother should never do that, should she?" Brennan walked behind her desk. "Perhaps now you can put your red colored glasses about Marianne aside and for once see things from Booth's perspective. Now, please leave and don't come back until you're ready to apologize to my husband and myself for your insensitive attitudes."

When she saw Aggie with a tear falling down her face and Dan silent, she pushed her sympathy aside. "Now or I'll call security!"

Getting up, Dan put his arm around his sister as they quietly walked out of the facility. Brennan shook as she let go of all of the emotions she held in.

 _'How dare they come to me with their opinion that Booth was acting rudely?'_ Brennan thought. While she still felt that Booth needed to let go of his anger about his mother, she felt more sympathy for his position after talking to his two stepsiblings.

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

"They had the balls to come to you with that shit?" Booth tossed his cheeseburger down on his plate. "I'm calling my mother when I get back to the office."

Brennan was afraid that her husband would react like this to their visit, but she wouldn't lie to her husband. "Booth, don't. Something tells me that Marianne will come around once her stepchildren give them a part of their minds."

Ignoring her erroneous use of a colloquialism, he silently stewed as he drank his coffee. "You're that certain that you got through, Bones?"

The scientist stabbed a piece of her salad. "I am, Booth. However, if I didn't, at least I got my point across."

Booth looked at the table for a moment. "I guess Aggie is super sensitive and from the few times I've been around her, she would take a sword for my mom."

"Insinuating that Agatha would commit seppuku for your mother is a bit dramatic, Booth, but I see your point." Brennan sipped her soup but stopped as Booth looked at her. "What's wrong? Do I have food on me?"

"No…just grateful to be married to you, Bones."

"You're welcome, Booth." Brennan wiped her hand on a napkin. "When are Cam and Arastoo coming to see you?"

"In an hour. I'm not looking forward to telling them this stuff, Bones."

"I know." Brennan took his hand. "Do you want me there with you when you talk to them?"

Booth shook his head. "No thanks, Bones. I've got this but thank you."

"You're welcome."

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

It was almost 2:00 when Booth finished talking to Cam and Arastoo. "That's pretty much it."

"That is so…awful." Cam held back a sob.

"It makes sense about why Tyler is so angry about the holidays." Booth waited a moment. "The police officer who worked the case has some of their stuff still in storage."

"He does?" Arastoo was surprised. "I assumed that their stuff outside of what they could take with them was given away since there was no other family on their mother's side?"

"Usually that's true, but Sgt. Simmons felt that they boys had lost enough and had hoped to return everything to them someday. Mickey said he has several boxes in storage down in Jackson."

"We can't trust the mail to get them to us in one piece, especially with Christmas causing things to be delivered later." Arastoo sighed.

"What if we go down there and gets the boxes, Arastoo?" Cam said. "I'm sure one of us can borrow Angela's van."

"We can't both go." Arastoo responded. "Someone has to stay with the kids and it will take a couple of days to drive back…I have a project that I'm working on at the university, so I can't go."

Cam made up her mind. "I'll go. Hodgins can be King of the Lab this weekend and next week for a day or two."

"You shouldn't go alone." Arastoo said, flinching when Cam gave him a look that could cut glass.

"I'm not a damsel in distress, Arastoo. I was a cop in New York before becoming a pathologist-" Cam warned, but Booth jumped in.

"It's not that, Cam but it would be better to have someone with you. How about I go? Bones will be for it and between the two of us, if there's any red tape, we can break it. We can also probably stay with Mickey Santana at his house. He's retired outside of Jackson now."

"I'm good with that, Cam if you are." Arastoo turned to Booth. "Thank you. I think getting this stuff will be the best Christmas present we can give the boys."

"I agree…especially Tyler." Cam smiled. "Okay, we leave about 8:00 tomorrow—"

"Cam, it's 15 hours. Let me get ahold of Russ. If you're up for it, we can leave tonight and get to North Carolina no later than 10:00, get some sleep at his place, and then drive to Mississippi from there tomorrow morning."

"Okay, let me know. I'll go home and have dinner with the boys and Arastoo and pack. We leave say around 7:00?"

"Sounds good. I'll call him now." Booth had just reached his phone when Marianne barged to the doorway.

"WHERE THE HELL DOES YOUR WIFE GET OFF TALKING TO MY CHILDREN THAT WAY?!" Marianne screamed as she stood in the doorway of her son's office.

Agent Tucker, the rookie to the division, raced to the office. "I'm sorry, Agent Booth. I couldn't stop her."

"It's fine, Tucker. Thank you." When the young woman walked away, Booth turned to his mother. "Mom, I'm busy right now."

"Your wife will apologize to Aggie and Dan immediately for her abhorrent attitude to them and then to me! She has no right to look down on me."

Booth controlled his embarrassment. "I'll call you in about an hour, Cam."

"Thanks, Booth. We'll call Angela and see if we can swap cars." Arastoo said before the couple stepped out of the office.

Keeping his cool, the agent turned to his mother. "Come with me, now."

When the two left, Cam turned to her spouse. "I'm going to stay here to make sure Booth's okay. Please go get Brennan at the lab ASAP and have her come here. They're installing the new phone phones and wi-fi at the lab and I may not get through. I'll see if I can maybe reach her, too."

"You got it." Arastoo said before hurrying out of the building.

Unaware of what his friends were doing, Booth stormed through the bullpen with his mother and led her to the conference room. Shutting the door, he stared the woman. "What the hell is your problem?" He asked quietly and calmly.

"Aggie called me today. I guess she and Dan visited Temperance to try to get her to see my side of things and your wife said some horrible things to them."

"Bones already told me about their visit. Did you send them there, Mom?"

"No, I didn't, Seeley but they know I've been upset and just wanted to help me." Marianne wiped her face. "Anyway, Aggie called me and told me that I needed to stop being so pushy with you. When I told her that you were my son, she said I obviously didn't give a damn about you and that until I owned up to the truth to not talk to her."

Booth nodded. "Wow Aggie…I'm impressed."

"Seeley, your wife was awful to her and said terrible things. Temperance will call and apologize to them immediately."

"No, Bones told the truth, not the fantasy one where you leave out things that don't make you look good." Booth took a step closer. "They came uninvited to my wife's place of work and were openly confrontational from the beginning. Bones is very direct, but also showed restraint to their rudeness. I'm sorry you don't like that your stepchildren now have a better understanding of what happened, but that's not my problem, Mom. Now, if you'll excuse me—"

"Damn it, Seeley! I have a right to be happy!" Marianne retorted but when she saw her son's eyes grew dark, she shivered.

"So do I, Mom. While you got to play house with another man's children, my grandparents raised us. Jared never forgot that you left us. Yeah, he drank like Dad did, but he was also your son. He had a right to be angry when you came back into our lives and expected us to welcome you with open arms. You abandoned us, Mom! You never sent a postcard…a phone call…a birthday card…nothing. If it wasn't for Pops, I might have committed suicide! That's how bad it was with Dad!"

Marianne gasped but Booth continued. "Still think I was strong enough to handle things while you were gone?"

"Seeley…the abuse was more than I could stand…"

"Well it was for me, too!" Booth took a step back to regain control over his emotions. "You came back in my life because you wanted a clear conscience. Guess what, you've got it. You're forgiven for abandoning me and Jared, for ignoring us for 30 years, for ignoring our hurt when you told us that you had another family, for ignoring your dead son's memorial after he died suffering, and most of all, for me selfishly ignoring how your need to be happy trumps everything else."

Booth opened the door and pointed out. "You're forgiven, Mom. Now get the hell out of my life and never come back."

"Seeley…please…"

"No, it's too much for me to expect you to show true regret and remorse for leaving me behind. Let Reggie baby you, Mom because I'm done."

Marianne realized that she screwed up big time. "Seeley…not like this…"

"Mom, I know it's hard to own up to what you've done wrong, but you must in order to move forward. I don't need fancy trips, my children spoiled, or first-class plane tickets. I need my mother to see that she hurt me and feel bad that she hurt me, but she doesn't. She can't get past herself and her own guilt…and I'm not going to try anymore. Now, please go back to your perfect family and leave me to my own."

Booth walked back to his office defeated, where Cam waited for him, a worried look on her face. "I'm good…um…I need to be alone for a while…um…"

"Let's just leave tomorrow, Booth, or we can postpone…"

"No, tonight is good. I'll call you later, okay?"

"Sure, Booth." Cam watched her friend leave before getting out her phone and making a call. "Angela, is Arastoo there yet? Go find Brennan in Limbo. Marianne was just here and Booth took off."

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

After standing in stunned silence for several moments, Marianne reluctantly walked out of the conference room and away from her son defeated. Getting on the elevator, she rode down and recalled her husband's counseling to approach Seeley later once she calmed down. However, Aggie's words of distain ate at her and she couldn't keep herself from making the two-hour drive from Reggie's gig in Wilmington, Delaware.

Now, all her children hated her…and she only had herself to blame.

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

Angela drove Brennan around DC hoping for the best. Seeing how upset her friend was, she left the baby with Hodgins at the lab and set out to find Booth.

"Is there any place in particular we should go?"

"We were already at the Lincoln Memorial…Aubrey has already checked Founding Fathers and the VFW halls." Brennan's phone rang and she was relieved to see it was Booth. "Booth! Where are…I'm on my way. Please stay outside."

Angela saw her friend's hands shake. "Bren, where's Booth."

"He's outside Mickey's, a pool hall in Washington Heights. He didn't go in but I need to get there as soon as possible."

"I'm on it." Angela sped up her minivan, praying they weren't too late.

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

It wasn't long before the ladies showed up to their destination. Both could see Booth pacing nervously outside the pool hall.

"You can drop me off. I'll get a ride with Booth."

"What about the kids? Michael Vincent is sick or else I would take them home with me."

"Call Aubrey and let him know that we've found Booth. He's on the approved list at Christine's school and at the lab day care center."

"Can do." Angela slowed the van down and Brennan got out. "Good luck."

Brennan walked over to her husband, who hugged her tightly. "Thank you…I'm sorry…I just…I didn't want to gamble…"

"Booth, it's all right." Brennan let go and took her husband's hand. "Now Gavin said that when this happens we need to talk about what happened to bring you here."

"Yeah…can we get a cup of coffee?"

"Sure, Booth."

Brennan took his hand and they walked quietly to a nearby coffee shop. They sat for over an hour as she listened to Booth hold himself together while explaining the confrontation with his mother. When both were confident the crisis had passed, they walked out until Booth stopped.

"Shit Bones, I have to leave town this weekend."

"What? Why?" Brennan listened to Booth explain what happened with Cam and Arastoo. Nodding her head in agreement, she concurred. "Booth, I think getting away for a couple of days helping Cam would be a good idea."

"I should have asked you, I'm sorry—"

"Booth, it's all right. I think it would be good for Cam not to go alone, not because she's a woman but she will need a friend."

"Sgt. Simmons would like to meet her and talk to her when she picks the stuff up. He wants to answer any questions Cam may have. Mickey said he had a soft spot for the boys and wants to know they're doing okay. With everything that happened today, maybe I should stay here-"

"Booth. You should go. We'll call Russ on the way home. I don't think he and Amy will mind you two spending the night tonight and when you return to DC."

"We should be home Monday, no later than Tuesday." Booth exhaled. "I'm going to be fine tonight because I'll be busy but I need to go to a meeting soon. Gavin is with his father in St. Louis, but maybe Mickey can put out some feelers on ones in Jackson."

"Okay, Booth."

Booth put his arm around his wife and kissed the top of her head as they made their way to his SUV. "Thank you for loving me, Bones."

"You're welcome, Booth. I have a similar sentiment."

* * *

 _ **To Love & Carbonite fans, 554Laura and I will have our latest chapter in the story of Aubrey/Jessica and friends out later today.**_


	7. Friendship with a Side of Gamera & Chaos

_**I appreciate everyone's patience with me on this story. I work in billing and apparently it's busy as all get out in January so it makes having time to polish up chapters a bit hard, but I will get them out to you I promise.**_

 _ **Ryn, I'll be more on time with the next challenge. LOL**_

 **As for today's chapter, Cam & Booth head out to Mississippi plus Aubrey & Jessica have a movie night...with unexpected results. **

* * *

Cam and Booth arrived at Russ and Amy's around 11:00 PM and the agent enjoyed a quick reunion with his nieces Hayley and Emma, the latter home for Christmas break from Western Carolina University before everyone went to bed.

The next morning, they enjoyed a quick early breakfast with the family before hitting the road around 8:00. Following the Navigator in Angela's minivan, Cam and Booth arrived at Mickey Santana's house in Jackson around 6:00. Greeting his former boss and old friend, the two agents hugged before Booth introduced Cam to Mickey and his wife Jean.

Grabbing their stuff, after a quick debate, Cam got settled in the guest room and Booth camped out in the office with the pull-out bed. When done, the four adults went out for ribs at one of Mickey's favorite places.

"So, I think it's great that you're doing this, Cam. I'm sure your boys will appreciate having those things with them." Mickey chewed a rib.

Cam wiped her hands on her napkin and sipped her beer. "I hope so. My oldest Tyler is having a difficult time adjusting to living with us, plus, the boys lost their mother during the holidays. Maybe having these keepsakes of hers will help him adjust and give the boys something special for Christmas."

"When I got in touch with Sgt. Simmons for the case, he was glad they found a good home. If it wasn't for the fact he's not married, he would have taken them himself. He pulled as many strings as he could to keep them together while they were in foster care. Do you know when you're meeting up with him tomorrow?" Mickey asked.

"Early, around 8:00, then we've talked about driving back tomorrow night."

"You two stay as long as you need to." Jean said. "It's going to take all of Sunday to go through all that stuff. You can use our office to sort through the boxes, Cam, so you can do it in private. If you leave Monday morning you don't have to rush."

"Well, Cam, I did tell Bones it may be Tuesday by the time we get back to DC and Angela said she can help with the kids if needed since she's still on maternity leave." Booth sipped his beer.

"I have Hodgins covering for me until Wednesday and it would be easier." Cam considered before nodding her head. "I'll let Arastoo know when I call home later."

"Excellent." Mickey said with a smile. "Plenty of time to catch up. Now Booth, I want to know what that wife of yours is up to. If it wasn't for Jean, you know I could give you a run for your money…"

Booth threw his napkin at the former agent. "You wish, Santana." He replied to the laughter at the table.

 ***/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/***

Aubrey fluffed his pillows on the couch before checking his apartment over one more time. He spent the entire day cleaning, dusting, and vacuuming every room. He changed Skinner's box in the spare bedroom and used the lint roller to remove every trace of cat hair he could find on the furniture.

More than once today, he wondered why he was fussing so much. It's not like it's the first time Jessica had been here. Hell, when they were dating, they defiled every room in his two-bedroom living space, including multiple instances in the kitchen, with pride when the apartment was messy. What was the big deal now?

The big deal was it wasn't just any date with any ordinary woman. It was a date with Jessica…albeit a friend date, but a date nonetheless _. 'Wait, do friends do dates?'_ he thought. _'We're not having a date…we're just…hanging out together like we used to do.'_

Once again, he wondered what would have happened if he had sucked down his pride and talked to her before she left for Scotland? Would she want them to be friends?

Or would she have wanted him to take her back?

It didn't matter now because Jessica was starting to like him again and it made him very happy. Hanging out after _The Last Jedi_ only proved that he missed her friendship more than he realized. The fact that she returned the sentiment only made his heart grow fonder.

Then there was that same sex dream that had recurring for the last several days. He wasn't ready to date…he just wanted to be friends, right?

Friendship is good. However, a man could still appreciate his friend's figure…amazing, perfect, heart shaped ass…nice, perky boobs that fit perfectly in his hands to play with…long legs that felt so good wrapped around his waist…beautiful green eyes…

Shaking his head, Aubrey got himself together. No sex. He wanted Jessica's friendship back…just her friendship.

 _'Oh who am I kidding? I want her naked in bed with me…I want to hold her every night…'_

He wanted her body, but most of all, he wanted her heart. On the other hand, he wasn't sure if he was ready to take another chance with her. Just like how his mother was emotionally destroyed when his father abandoned them, Jessica broke his heart and soul that day in the interrogation room.

Booth was right. He was angry with her…and maybe a small part of him still was. He had never let himself get close enough to a woman until the intern and eight months later, she told him they had no future. Maybe someday, he could ask her why she stopped loving him, but for now, he would appreciate his best friend coming back into his life. Friendship was best right now.

Hearing a knock on the door, Aubrey raced over and opened it to Jessica looking beautiful in black leggings and a beautiful long green V-neck sweater that made her large eyes pop. She had her hair down and had minimal make up on her face, leaving him mesmerized.

Jessica blushed as her ex-boyfriend stared at her. "Aubrey, can I come in?"

Shaking off his distraction, he stepped aside. "Sorry…come on in."

"Thanks."

Aubrey locked the door after Jessica entered the dwelling. "I see you have brought treats, Jess. What did you make?"

Setting the large container on the center island that separated his living room and kitchen, Jessica opened it up. "Come see for yourself."

"Your grape salad! Yeah!" Aubrey did a quick shimmy to Jessica's chuckles. "Wait, did you…"

Jessica pulled an item out of the paper bag she had with her. "…bring walnuts? Yes I did, Superman. Can't have a grape salad without walnuts."

Aubrey's eyes lit up as he anticipated the feast that would commence shortly. "Cool."

Jessica took off her coat and set it on the back of one of the dining chairs nearby. "What are you feeding me for our movie night, James Aubrey?"

Aubrey waved his arm in the kitchen, which showed a large cookie sheet loaded with a mix of blue corn and regular corn chips buried in cheddar and habanero jack cheeses. Next to it on the stove were two skillets, one with seasoned ground beef and the second with seasoned white meat chicken. "Only my famous Amazing Aubrey nachos, Jessica."

"Yes!" Jessica giggled as she moved the salad into the kitchen. When she saw the condiments available she smiled. "Greek yogurt. You remembered."

"Well, it's healthier and you got me used to it as a substitute for sour cream. I'm making an effort to cut down on the junk food, Jessica."

"I'm glad." The redhead smirked. "Are you still drinking those black kale chia smoothies laced with chocolate syrup still?"

Aubrey's eyes got large. "How did you know…"

"I tasted it whenever you kissed me after drinking one of those things, but it's the thought that counts." Jessica crossed her arms. "Okay Agent Aubrey, get those nachos in the oven. I'm hungry."

"Yes, ma'am."

Jessica snuck a peek when Aubrey bent over to put the pan in the oven. _'He has a really cute, tight butt…it would be nice to get my hands on it again…whoa Jessica…simmer down. He just broke up with his girlfriend…'_

Aubrey peeked around and saw Jessica staring at his posterior, barely holding back a smile. "Yeah…she still likes my ass." He muttered quietly.

Startled, Jessica hoped she didn't voice her thoughts out loud. "What did you say, Aubrey?"

 _'Shit…'_ Aubrey thought quickly. "Uh, nothing."

Jessica looked at his suspiciously but kept silent. "Okay…now where are your new movies?"

"On the end table. Pick out the one you want to watch first."

When Jessica bent over to see what he had, the agent sneaked a peek of his own. _'Damn Jess has the best ass ever. I just want to grab it, kiss it, nuzzle it…whoa Aubrey…she just broke up with her boyfriend a few weeks ago...settle down…you just want friendship, remember?'_

His admonishment came too late as something else came to attention, he groaned. _'Bad, bad time. Calm down!'_

"Aubrey, you've got all the _Gamera_ movies."

Still having a partial erection, Aubrey stood behind the couch and began reciting all the winners of the World Series that he could name in his head. "Yeah, found them on Amazon. How cool is a fire breaking turtle that destroys Tokyo?"

"Very cool." Jessica turned around and held out her first choice. "If we choose a Gamera movie, we have to start with the first one."

The agent nodded. "Definitely."

 ***/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/***

Ninety minutes later, there was a cookie sheet on the table with chip crumbs and burnt cheese. Flanking the silver pan were three empty bottles of Yuengling beer. On the couch, Aubrey and Jessica sat and enjoyed Gamera create a path of destruction through Tokyo on the agent's television screen.

"Mmmm…tasty tower…" Aubrey said in a Kermit the Frog voice as the monster turtle chewed up the Tokyo Tower.

"I still don't think Gamera sounds like Kermit the Frog." Jessica sipped her beer with a chuckle.

"Uh, he totally does. He may be a deformed turtle with teeth due to an atomic bomb, but he's sensitive, too, Jess."

 _'He called me Jess again…'_ Jessica blushed again.

"Jess, what are you blushing about?" Aubrey found it so adorable on her as she could hide nothing with her fair skin.

Jessica shrugged before taking another drink. "You're calling me Jess again…I've…missed that, Superman. I've missed it more than I realized."

"I've missed hearing Superman, too. It's nice when you call me that…" Aubrey replied quietly. The two smiled at each other until there was a knock at the door.

"Are you expecting someone else besides me?" Jessica asked.

"Nope. Let me see what's up." Aubrey headed to the door as another set of loud knocks could be heard. Peeking through the Judas Hole, Aubrey groaned. "You have got to be kidding me."

Jessica could tell by Aubrey's reaction who it was. "Just let her in Aubrey. Maybe she'll be quick, okay?"

"She came by yesterday after work to get her stuff, so she doesn't need to be here. Ugh…pause the movie, will you, please?" When Jessica did what he requested, Aubrey opened the door. "Hi Karen, what are you doing here?"

"I still have some stuff in your apartment I need to collect. I was still too upset after you dumped me so horribly Monday night to think straight last night." Karen walked in and saw Jessica. "Ah…didn't take you long to move in on my boyfriend, did it, Jessica?"

Jessica rolled her eyes. "Karen, I'm here hanging out with my friend and watching movies. He's not even your boyfriend anymore."

Karen ignored the redhead's retort. "Watching movies, huh? I bet you have a lot more planned than that later, don't you? I bet you aren't even wearing underwear—"

"Karen, that's enough. Now, I have company that I would like to go back and spend time with, so get whatever you forgot last night so you can leave."

"Trying to get rid of me? I guess I would be a party pooper for when you're getting ready for some sex with the ex."

Jessica could see how embarrassed Aubrey was and couldn't hold back any longer. "You know, it would serve you right if we were naked from hot monkey sex in the living room, but we're only watching movies because that's what friends do. I'm sorry you don't get the concept of friendship because you really don't have any, but I do recommend them. Now, why don't you hang on to the shred of dignity you have left by getting your things, leaving here, and moving on with your life?"

"Well, I…you…" Karen was apoplectic as she couldn't think of a retort before storming into the back of the apartment with the box she was holding.

Aubrey watched her go into his bedroom. "Jess, I need to…"

"Go. I'll be here."

"Thank you." Aubrey left down the hallway to the back of his apartment.

Jessica sat down, annoyed her fun evening with Aubrey was interrupted, but she knew it wasn't his fault. As she heard the profiler stomping around in her former boyfriend's bedroom, she thought about the last five days with Aubrey. Being without him the last eight months have been lonely, but they were becoming friends again and it made her very happy.

She couldn't deny that the lanky man still made her heart aflutter, but where they ready for more than friendship?

In the last week, it was as if their friendship had never ended. She wouldn't deny that she still loved Aubrey deeply, and the sex was amazing. However, while they were together he'd held a small part of himself back from her and it hurt her deeply. It was that lack of trust in her that made her reluctant to reciprocate when he said he was serious about her all those months before.

Maybe someday they could try again as a couple, but right now friendship was the most important thing. Frankly, she was glad they were having fun again and she was content with that. There was plenty of time for romance and a relationship if they make that decision in the future.

 _"Where are they?!"_

 _"Damn it, Karen. Quit dumping my clothes everywhere. You're making a mess in here and you're pissing me off."_

"Oh poor Aubrey." Jessica got up and went to the kitchen where she fixed a large bowl of grape salad for Aubrey and topped it with a generous portion of walnuts. Unfortunately, being in the kitchen didn't drown out the loud noise.

" _Aren't you done yet? You didn't keep that much stuff here."_

 _"I'm trying to find my hot pink panties, Aubrey! Quit rushing me!"_

 _"I don't have your damn panties and you know that. Now quit stalling, get your shit, and go."_

 _"You're being so mean."_

 _"Well, you're being a pain on purpose and I'm tired of it. I told you none of your clothes were here. Instead of maybe trusting me on that, you've torn apart all my dresser drawers and what did you find…no lingerie, no shirts, socks, nothing."_

"Oh poor Superman…" Jessica set the bowl on the table and cringed before drinking her beer.

 _"You have my panties, Aubrey…you're probably hiding them so you can give them to Jessica to wear…or keeping them as a souvenir since you're I'm sure by now you're regretting our break up."_

 _"That's disgusting, Karen. I would never give a woman another lady's panties. As for the souvenir bit, I have several instances of you that are burned into my memory so I don't need your underwear to remember you by. As for regrets? I'm ecstatic that I'm single again because dealing with you as my girlfriend stressed me the fuck out. Now, why didn't you call or email me today what items you left here on 'accident'? I would have brought them to you at Quantico on Monday and saved you a trip over here since you're so traumatized by me dumping you."_

 _"I wanted my hair brush and lotion tonight. They're my favorites. As for why I came here, I've already told you that I had panties missing and I didn't want you keeping them or giving them to Jessica to wear in some sex fantasy."_

 _"I'm not going to bother denying anything to you anymore because I don't have to. Since you have what you so desperately had to have tonight, you're all set. If you forget anything else, email me because I don't want you coming around here anymore. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have company."_

 _"Sorry that my possessions have kept you from dirty sex with the ex."_

 _"Leave now so I can straighten up the mess you made and entertain my guest."_

As Jessica read her Twitter feed, the profiler stomped back to the living area with her box of possessions. "Well, you won. You got him."

The redhead looked up. "I was never competing with you, Karen but if you insist on pushing the issue, you're the one who started this crap when you convinced me to break up with Aubrey. Don't get pissy when things don't go your way."

Karen was practically breathing fire when she left and slammed the door. Skinner was startled from his nap on the couch. Petting him, Jessica reassured the tabby.

"That mean Karen is gone now, Skinner." After he closed his eyes again, Jessica got up. "I'm going to check on your daddy. Don't eat his grape salad."

Heading to Aubrey's bedroom, she found him folding clothes on the bed and the drawers to his dresser hanging out of their spaces. "OMG, Superman…"

"Yeah. I'm sure you heard that Karen accuse me of being a panty pervert who stole her underwear so you could model them for me."

"That's so…ewwww…"

"It is, isn't it? Shows how well she knows me." The agent folded an old fraternity sweatshirt. "I swear she left that stuff on purpose. I would have dropped it off to her at Quantico or she could have picked the stuff up at my office. Every day I am grateful that I dumped her before we got serious. Dealing with all that is something I don't need right now."

Ignoring Aubrey's last sentiment, Jessica came around and help him fold his shirts. "I'm sure she did, Aubrey. She's angry that you broke up with her and she's not going to let you forget it."

"Well, I don't know anything else I could have done to make things better. I didn't love her and it wasn't fair to either of us to pretend otherwise."

Absentmindedly, Jessica began folding the boxer shorts that were in a heap by the end of the bed. "You screwed up, but you're also human. She'll get over it eventually."

"Yeah, I'm good at screwing up."

Jessica handed the boxer shorts she folded to Aubrey, but when their hands touched, she felt a jolt. "Oh…I'm sorry…I guess me touching your underwear is a bit personal. I wasn't thinking."

 _'I remember when she used to touch more than my underwear…'_ Aubrey thought before getting his thoughts out the gutter. "I-it's all right. I mean, it's not like you haven't seen it or anything…"

"These are my personal favorites of your collection." Jessica giggled as she held up his Darth Vader cape boxer shorts.

"Yeah…they made for fun times, didn't they?" Suddenly feeling the sexual tension in the air, Aubrey cleared this throat. "Okay, we're all good. Let's go back and enjoy the adventures of Gamera, shall we?"

Feeling a little embarrassed at where their conversation was going, Jessica agreed. "Yes, let's do that. I scooped you up some grape salad…"

"…because I need to do some emotional eating. You know me too well, Jessica." Aubrey smiled as he indicated for her to leave his bedroom first.

"Are we going to try getting through all the movies tonight?" Jessica asked as they walked down the short hallway to the main area of the apartment.

Aubrey pondered. "Well, seven movies and about 80 minutes each…I don't know, Jess. You think we can make it to _Gamera vs Zigra_?"

"We did get through _The Last Jedi_ a couple of days ago…"

"…and we did do an all-night Star Wars marathon right before your birthday." Aubrey said before realizing what came next.

"Then you tried to kiss me but I bloodied your nose and we got hit with dirty water…"

"…and we were called to a body." Aubrey cleared his throat as he remembered what that led to. "Okay, Jess, you're on. We'll finishing watching _Gamera the Giant Monster,_ then we'll watch _Gamera vs Barogon, Gamera vs Gyaos_ …"

Jessica handed Aubrey his bowl of salad. " _Gamera vs Viras, Gamera vs Guiron_ …"

 ***/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/***

Several hours later, Aubrey woke up with a start sitting up on the couch. He saw the DVD screensaver on the television and realized he fell asleep. Remembering he had company, he turned and saw Jessica fast asleep on the other end, her head resting on the arm.

Shaking the sleep out of his head, he reached over and shook her leg gently. "Jess…Jessica…we fell asleep. It's 2:30 in the morning."

"I need my bones, Curly. Dr. B wants cause…of death…"

Aubrey chuckled, knowing that once she talked in her sleep that she was out for the night. Being the gentleman that he was, he tried waking her up again. "Jess, come on. I'll put you in my bed and I'll take the couch."

"Noooooo…stay here…." Jessica whimpered in her sleep.

Realizing that he lost the battle, Aubrey went in his bedroom and got two pillows. Guiding a sleeping Jessica down until she was lying on the couch, he put pillows under her head and covered her up. Remembering that she hated sleeping with her socks on, he pulled them off and put them on the floor next to her.

Standing up, he saw his cat climb down and curl up next to her abdomen on the couch. With Karen, whenever she tried to give him attention, he growled or hissed at her. Jessica though, he snuggled with her the first time she ever came over to his apartment over two and a half years earlier. It was obvious that Skinner missed the redhead more than he realized.

Feeling overwhelmed at the sight before him, Aubrey plugged her phone into his Millennium Falcon charger quietly and after leaving the stove light on, he headed to bed himself. Changing into flannel PJ pants and an FBI shirt, the agent went to bed, a cauldron of mixed emotions.

Her sleeping over on the couch was like old times when she would fall asleep during their movie marathons. He had done the same when they hung out at her apartment when they were friends. However, it also brought back memories of how her sleeping on his couch turned into her sleeping in his bed…then her sleeping naked in his bed next to him.

He could no longer deny that he was still in love with Jessica Warren, but he was also scared to death of taking another chance and failing. He wasn't sure if he could handle being shattered like that again, or the resulting emptiness. He was beyond happy they were hanging out as friends again after secretly wishing for it for the last several weeks. Now, though, he was torn between maintaining a friendship and possibly being open for more if the opportunity came.

 _'Okay buddy, she's just sleeping on your couch. It's not like she's going to ask you to marry her tomorrow.'_ Putting his emotions aside, he eventually fell asleep.

* * *

 _ **Next chapter, Cam & Booth visit Sgt. Simmons. What do they find out?**_


	8. What Really Happened

_**A/N: So Aubrey & Jessica have a morning after, Cam finds out the truth about how Sara Williams died, and Booth does double duty. A little humor...a lot of sadness, but sometimes moving forwards involves finding the truth.**_

 _ **Warning...part of this chapter describes graphic things. Rated very, very high T/low M.**_

* * *

The next morning, Aubrey was asleep in bed when a wonderful and familiar smell woke him up from his slumber. His stomach ready and willing, the agent got up and stumbled to the living room. Seeing the folded blanket and pillows on top of the couch, he turned to the open kitchen area and sighed at the sight of Jessica cooking at the stove while humming a tune.

Unaware of Aubrey's presence, Jessica took a moment to sip out of an FBI mug before bending down to Skinner, who was eating out of his bowl. "Skinner, we have to wake up your daddy because it's almost 9:00. He's a sleepyhead."

"Never when there's good food cooking."

"Aaahhhh!" Jessica turned around and saw Aubrey standing there. His hair was in all different directions and he had morning stubble…and it took her breath away for a moment. She couldn't help but remember how most Sunday mornings he would greet her in the kitchen as she made breakfast. Often, the result was that they had each other for breakfast and the cooked meal became their lunch.

 _'Get ahold of yourself, Jessica.'_ The redhead said internally before smiling. "Well, I bogarted your couch and you fed me an Aubrey gourmet cuisine last night, so the least I could do was make you a nice breakfast. However, you need to go grocery shopping, Superman. My options were a bit limited."

"I know. The Masters case has me swamped." The agent came into the small kitchen and inhaled the wonderful aroma. "Cinnamon pancakes…omelets…how lucky am I?"

"Very lucky since breakfast is almost ready, Superman. There's coffee brewed over there."

Aubrey turned and saw his _The Day The Earth Stood Still_ mug out already with a small bottle of cinnamon. Appreciating the small gesture, he went over and prepared his coffee. "Thanks for the coffee, Jess."

"You're welcome." Jessica stirred the eggs one more time before shutting off the burner. "Breakfast is ready. Can you get out plates and set the table?"

"Sure."

The two worked together and after gathering everything, enjoyed a meal of scrambled eggs, pancakes, and leftover grape salad with discussion topics ranging from which Gamera movie was the best to favorite Star Wars prequel. After they cleaned up and Jessica put the rest of the grape salad in a smaller container for Aubrey, she reluctantly went for her coat.

"I have to go home, Superman as my dissertation awaits. Thanks for letting me camp out on your couch." Jessica put her coat on as well as her boots.

Aubrey didn't want her to go but understood. "Sure. Last night was fun…well, most of it."

Jessica buttoned up her pea coat. "I prefer to remember the fun we had, don't you? She's not worth worrying about."

"No, she's not." Aubrey walked her to the door. "Say, um, do you have any plans Wednesday?"

"Working on my dissertation. Christmas vacation is going to give me plenty of time for more research."

"Oh…" Aubrey made a face. "Sounds like you're going to be busy, then."

Realizing he was discouraged, Jessica continued. "But if I were to get a better offer…"

Aubrey's face lit up. "The Cineplex is showing _The Man With the X-Ray Eyes_ for Retro Science Fiction night _._ Do you want to maybe…go…with me to see that?"

Jessica blushed, secretly happy he asked her. "Yeah that sounds fun. Do you want to eat at the diner before the show?"

"Yeah, that would be great." Aubrey replied shyly.

Jessica pulled her hair out of her coat. "Um, I'm working extra hours this week because most of the interns went home for the holidays. Do you want to have lunch one day…or two?"

"Yeah. I'm not sure of the day yet, unfortunately because the Masters case is growing. It might have to be in my office if that's okay?"

"That's fine. Do you have any suspects?"

"We're looking at a few people. Hodgins is going to take another look at the particulates and Angela is working the Angelatron from home so maybe we'll find something there. I've also emailed Agent Tanner about getting a profiler assigned to the case. I really hope this gets wrapped up by Christmas. I would enjoy actually having the day off this year."

"Yeah, me too. I would prefer not to spend Christmas Day cleaning bones with late night Chinese as my holiday meal."

"Chinese worked for Ralphie in _A Christmas Story_." Aubrey quipped, making Jessica laugh. "Christmas last year wasn't all that bad, was it?"

Recalling their multiple tumbles in Aubrey's bed afterwards, Jessica smiled. "No, it wasn't all bad. It actually was memorable in many ways, including the company."

Blushing, Aubrey smiled. "Thank you. Christmas dinner will be nice this year, too at Booth and Dr. B's. Booth promised there would be ham and turkey there. Are you going?"

"Yeah I am. This year, my family is having our dinner on the 26th."

Aubrey shoved his hands in his pockets. "Having a family dinner at the winery?"

"Sort of…we're having it at the tasting room in Bethesda. We're trying out the new oven and equipment there since we're hoping to expand into an occasional wine night with meals this spring. Stephan is going to pick up Dad and I'm going to drive him back to the nursing home. Hopefully the weather will be good."

"Well, I hope your family will all be there." Aubrey said with sincerity. "I know how much spending time with your brothers and your dad means to you."

"Thank you." Jessica walked up to Aubrey and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you once again for a fun evening, Aubrey."

Despite his pledge to remain friends for now, it took all that he had to keep himself from pulling her into his arms. "I had fun, too, Jess. More than I've had a in a long time."

Jessica bent down to pet Skinner. "Bye Skinner. I'll see you soon."

"I'll walk you out." Aubrey followed her to the door.

"Can I call you later or tomorrow?" Jessica smiled.

 _'She wants to call me!'_ Aubrey held in his excitement. "Yeah, that would be nice."

"Great. See you later, Aubrey."

Aubrey watched her head out of his brownstone. Shutting the apartment door, he leaned against it and patted his chest. He couldn't deny it any more. Jessica Warren had his heart, but he didn't know what he wanted next.

 _'What am I doing to do now?'_

 ***/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/***

Karen watched as Jessica walked to her car, got in and left. The profiler could only stare as she felt her heart breaking in half. She was still angry, but more than that, she was sad as it finally hit her.

James Aubrey never loved her…only Jessica Warren. Everything she has done to make him love her instead was for nothing. She felt so sad and empty.

With tears in her eyes, Karen started up her vehicle and drove away from Aubrey's brownstone to think about what to do next.

 ***/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/***

At the same time as Karen's heartbreak, Cam and Booth arrived at Sergeant Simmons's house. Unfortunately, an accident delayed their arrival, but their host was understanding. Knocking on the door, they were greeted by a large, jovial man.

"Hello, you must be Dr. Saroyan and Agent Booth. I'm Jack. Come on in. We'll chat for a bit before we get that stuff for you."

"We're so sorry about being late. That accident…"

"…had two fatalities according to my police scanner. I'm just glad you made it here with the freeway closed, Dr. Saroyan." Simmons led them into the living room. "Anyone up for coffee?"

"Sounds great, Sergeant." Booth said.

"Jack, please. I've got enough rookies who call me that at the precinct."

After helping themselves to coffee and pastries, the three settled in the living room. "Well, Mickey said you both saw the case files. Do you have any questions?"

Booth kept silent, letting Cam take the lead as she nodded. "I don't know where to begin…"

"Well, I'll tell you what I know and interrupt me with any questions or if I'm telling you what you already know." When his guests nodded, he continued. "Devon Williams was in prison serving 6 to 12 years for drug possession. He got a deal because he cooperated with the prosecutor to get his supplier. He had also been arrested previously for domestic violence, but Sara always dropped the charges."

"Pretty typical unfortunately." Cam said quietly. Turning to Booth, she could tell he was keeping his emotions hidden.

"He was granted parole in 2013 but the parole board that year was in a constant shuffle. With all that chaos, she was one of several people the state didn't inform when a prisoner was paroled."

"Are you fucking serious?" Booth exclaimed.

"Computer error they called it." Simmons sipped his coffee. "I guess he surprised her in November declaring that he was a new man, but Sara refused to take him back. Immediately, she had the locks changed and did everything she could to keep him out of her life. Unfortunately, the courts gave Devon visitation rights with the boys when he started living with their grandmother."

Surprised, Cam leaned forward. "How did he pull that off?"

"His mother paid for a good attorney. Always thought he was framed and that he did no wrong." Simmons shaking his head. "Devon continue to pursue Sara, but she stood her ground and refused, even after he told her two weeks before she died that if he couldn't have her, no one would. She got a restraining order and Devon lost all his visitation rights."

"What do you think made Devon snap?" Cam asked plainly.

"We think it was when he found out that Sara had another man in her life. Just someone she had met at work…he hadn't even met her boys yet." Simmons took a moment and composed himself. "Sorry…this is that case that always sticks with me."

"We understand." Booth replied. "I've got a few of those myself."

"According to their neighbor, a Ms. Diane Winters, Sara asked her if the boys could spend the night on Christmas Eve. Her reasoning was that she wanted to make the holidays extra special for the boys so they could forget about all the crap going on. For that, she needed the boys away to prepare food and decorate their house into a Christmas wonderland. Ms. Winters agreed since she didn't have plans until Christmas Day."

The older man shuddered. "The next morning, Ms. Winters got the boys around and about 8:15, everyone left. She got in her car and after seeing them go in their house using their key, left for her mother's for Christmas, assuming everything was all right."

"But it wasn't." Cam said.

"Tyler, who was 10 at the time, found his mother and father dead." Simmons took a breath to compose himself.

Booth had questions but waited for Cam. "I read the reports but, can you tell us in your own words what happened?"

"Tyler suspected something was off when he saw a table knocked over in the living room. The kitchen blocked the rest of the view so his brothers didn't see anything. After sending Isaiah and Jordan upstairs to wake up their mom, he found them both dead by the Christmas tree. Their mother was wearing a shirt and a pair of pajama pants that were bunched around her ankles. Their father was dressed as..."

"Santa Claus…" Cam said quietly, remembering the crime scene photo. Simmons waited until she nodded for him to continue. "How did you identify their mother since visual recognition was…difficult at best."

"A tattoo on her left thigh confirmed her identity, even though Tyler was certain it was her." "According to the spent shells at the scene and the medical examiner, Sara was killed first by five gunshots to the face. With her body being exposed, we suspected sexual assault, which was confirmed with the rape kit done during the autopsy."

"Mother of God…" Booth muttered.

"And their father?" Cam asked. "According to the report it stated suicide."

"Yeah. We speculate that he sexually assaulted her and judging by the overturned furniture and broken items, Sara fought for her life. Unfortunately, the bastard overpowered her and shot her to death. Then, the creep shot himself in the head."

"Tyler found them like that…" Cam wiped a tear away. "That is so…wrong…"

"I don't know how the kid did it, but he pulled himself together enough to race upstairs before his brothers could come down, told them to stay in their room because their mother didn't want their surprise ruined before it was ready. Next, he used the landline Sara had for emergencies in her bedroom to call 911 before staying with his brothers until first responders arrived."

"You were the first officer on the scene." Booth said.

The older man nodded. "I was. I thought I had seen it all until I walked into that house."

"Why didn't their grandmother take them in?" Cam asked. "I was given the impression from the social worker that they had no family.

"She's blind and was also going senile, so there was no way she could care for three boys." Simmons said. "There was no other family, so CPS came in and took them. I tried to take them home with me, but since I'm not married, the courts didn't approve of that."

"How did you get their stuff?" Booth asked.

"A week after the murder, their mother's landlord was talking about getting rid of their stuff they had to leave behind after the crime scene was opened. I couldn't let that happen, so I took the things that seemed personal and put them in storage, hoping that someday I could give all of it to the boys. If anyone deserved a good home, it was those boys. I was just sorry I couldn't do it for them." Simmons smiled at Cam. "How do they like Washington DC?"

"Good, but Tyler is…having difficulties since we moved them there in August."

"He was close to his mother. All three were devastated but him the most. At her funeral, it was a closed casket…"

"Understandable." Booth said.

"Tyler was so stoic…it scared me because I knew that boy had a lot of pain inside him, but he was protecting his brothers like he always did." Simmons looked at the pathologist. "I think you coming to get that stuff will do him a world of good, Dr. Saroyan."

"Thank you for all that you did, Sergeant." Cam said with sadness. "What those boys went through…I'm amazed they've done as well as they did."

"Their older brother protected them from the worst of their father. I've always felt that Tyler felt he failed his mother by not being there." Simmons said.

"Do you think their father would have killed them, too if they were there?" Booth asked, the sergeant's words hitting too close to home.

"Yes." The older man said quietly. "I have no doubt in my mind Devon Williams would have killed his entire family on Christmas if given the chance."

"She probably knew and that's why she had them spend the night with the neighbor. A mother's instinct is to protect her children." Booth said quietly. "At least…most mothers."

Cam understood the emotion in Booth's words more than the police officer would. Wanting to help her friend, she turned to Simmons. "Is it okay if we get that stuff now? I think I would like some time to go through it before heading back to DC."

"No problem. I went to my storage and brought them here after I talked to Mickey." Simmons got up and led his guests to the garage and pointed to eight large boxes. "Take whatever you like. I see that you have a decent sized vehicle to take it back in."

"We do." Booth said.

After Cam backed the minivan up to the garage, the three loaded the boxes into the vehicle. After thanking the police officer again, they shook hands and the two friends took their leave to head back to Mickey's house.

"Mickey and Jean are visiting their daughter for the day and will be back by dinner time. They thought you may want some privacy to go through this stuff to make sure there's nothing from the crime scene that will upset the boys." Booth said while driving.

"I appreciate that very much." Cam looked to her friend. "Are you okay if I do most of it…alone? I don't know if I'll see something personal…"

"Of course, Cam." The agent replied. "The Eagles are on today so I can watch that, plus…Mickey found me a GA meeting that meets on Sundays near his house. I'm going there after dinner, but I'll be around if you need me."

"Thank you, Booth."

 ***/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/***

By mid afternoon, Cam went through four boxes, being careful not to snoop into anything that may be personal. More than once, the pathologist had to stop as she cried for the woman whose life was packed away in storage. This was a woman who loved her children deeply and Cam was convinced that the woman made the ultimate sacrifice for them. In turn, she and Arastoo would do what they could to steer them on the right path and make her proud from wherever she was.

Booth saw Cam staring at items she put on the fold out couch and rubbed her shoulder. "How are you doing, Cam?"

"Good….good…this is harder than I anticipated. Why?"

"Because she's not just a name in your son's CPS files. She's now…was a living, breathing person who just what I can see here was creative, had a lot of friends judging by the photographs, and also the person who brought those boys into this world."

"I don't know if I can measure up, Booth. Sara Williams was…a wonderful human being. I'm an excellent pathologist, but I didn't get married until I was 45 years old, didn't adopt my first child until I was 39 years old, I shied away from relationships…"

"Camille, what's your point?"

"What if…I'm not good enough to be the boys' mother?" Cam wiped a tear away. "I've never had my…mother cub moment to prove what I was worth…"

"Bullshit!"

"What?"

"You heard me, Cam." Booth looked his oldest friend in the eye. "You adopted your former boyfriend's daughter after he was murdered, you told off that NSA guy who tried to take all the evidence from that murder case last Thanksgiving…"

"He was the killer, Booth…"

"Doesn't matter, Cam. I will also bring up that you took on the CDC when we were quarantined with that toxin that almost killed Arastoo."

"Booth…"

"Do I also need to mention that you keep the best lab in the country running smoothly? If Hodgins, Angela, Bones, and other didn't have you to keep the ship on the correct course, they would be gone. Cam, you've mother cubbed everyone there at some point, including my wife. I think you can handle being a mother to three teenage boys, Cam."

"Booth, my oldest son hates me…"

The agent one arm hugged Cam. "No, he doesn't Cam. He's struggling with how to honor his mother while accepting you into his life. On top of that, he's got a lot of feelings about this time of year. Tyler took the brunt of the world on his shoulders for his mother and brothers. I think bringing all this will help him realize he doesn't have to do that anymore and also let him know that he can have you as a parent without betraying his mother's memory."

Cam squeezed his hand. "Speaking of mothers, do you know what you're going to do about Marianne yet?"

"No." Booth nodded. "After today, I'm realizing that my mother…well, she has a lot to be desired, Cam."

"You could say that." Cam said as Booth's phone rang. "Who's that?"

"It's Aubrey." Booth answered his cell. "Aubrey, what's up?"

 _"Do you have a few minutes to talk? If you're busy with Cam that's fine…"_

"I'm good, Aubrey. Just give me a minute." Booth pressed the receiver against his abdomen. "I think Aubrey is having girl issues again."

Cam chuckled. "Will he and Jessica ever figure things out?"

"Who knows? I'll be back." Stepping outside into the balmy day, Booth picked the phone back up. "Aubrey…are you having girl trouble again?"

 _"Well…I don't think so…I don't know…"_

"Just start at the beginning, all right." Booth sat in a chair and listened as his friend described what happened the night before. "Karen came over to your place?"

 _"Yeah…she was a pain in the ass and she trashed my drawers because supposedly I had a pair of her underwear that I would going to give to Jessica. That is just…really nasty. I'm telling you Booth, your advice was spot on to dump her—"_

"So what happened the rest of the night?" Booth listened and his eyes got large. "Jessica spent the night?"

 _"On my couch, Booth. No funny stuff. Then she cooked me breakfast and when she left…she kissed me on the cheek."_

"So, how did that make you feel?" Booth moved the phone to his other ear. When it was silent, he prodded. "Come on Aubrey, I know you're still crazy about her."

 _"Well…good…scared…excited…petrified…I don't know…"_

Booth thought about what to say. "Well, how did it make you feel good and excited?"

 _"It…it just…felt right…really right…you don't know how badly I wanted to hold her and do more than kiss her. When she bent over last night and got to see her cute ass in those black leggings, I got hard and I had to hide it."_

"Aubrey…I don't need to know that stuff." Booth exhaled. "Now tell me why you are scared and petrified."

 _"She's starting to like me again, Booth, but what if we try again and fail? What if she dumps me again? I couldn't stand it. I'm scared shitless, man…"_

"Aubrey…Aubrey! Take a deep breath and exhale." Booth yelled. "Now, have you considered that Jessica may be wondering the same things about you?"

 _"Huh?"_

Booth rolled his eyes. "Aubrey, it's obvious she still has feelings for you that go beyond friendship. She might be afraid to take the plunge because of how you'll respond to her, plus you did break up with your girlfriend six days ago."

 _"What do I do, Booth?"_ Aubrey whined. _"You're like my relationship guru man. I want what you and Dr. B have, you know?"_

 _'Yeah, Bones and I are the best.'_ Booth smiled. "Well, what Bones and I have is unique and special. What you and Jessica have right now is unique and special…but my best advice is just take it a day at a time. Eventually you two will have to have a conversation about what went wrong and where to go from there."

 _"Shit…things will get awkward…"_

"Yeah, they will Aubrey, but if you two decide to move forward beyond friendship again, you have to figure out what went wrong the first time or you'll fail again. Do you think your friendship will survive a second break up?"

 _"No…"_

"Then, tread carefully, be prepared for a difficult conversation, and follow Jessica's lead. If you think you just want friendship, then go with that. Most of all Aubrey, if you're not sure you're ready for a relationship, don't sleep with her and then do take backs. That will…not be good for either of you."

 _"We were so careful the first time. Hell, we didn't sleep together until—"_

"Aubrey…no! There are some things I don't need to know, all right. However, regarding your comment about being careful the first time, you need to be very careful this time…both of you. Think with your head and heart, not your hormones."

 _"Christ, Booth. I'm not going to have sex with her and dump her. That's not my style. She's…more important than just a fuck buddy."_

Booth smiled. "Glad to hear it, Aubrey. Is there anything else you want to talk about?"

 _"Well, how are you doing? Your mother has some balls to make demands like she did. Dr. B was scared to death when she called me to help find you on Friday afternoon. "_

Booth chewed his lip. "I'm doing all right now. I just have some decisions to make about my mother and what to do next."

 _"I'm sorry that you're having a hard time with all that. Is there anything I can do for you?"_

"Just be my friend, Aubrey. You picking up the kids from school and day care and then taking care of them while Bones was taking care of me was a big help."

 _"It's not a big deal. I love hanging out with Hank and Christine…and you've done a lot for me."_

"It was a big deal. You went to that Star Wars movie thing and after meeting up with Jessica didn't get to bed until after 7:00 in the morning. I'm sure you were tired as all get out."

 _"I managed, Booth. How's Cam doing down there?"_

"We heard the whole story about how the boys' mother died and it's not a pretty one. She's going through the items now, making sure nothing is broke or anything that might be contaminated from the crime scene. She's…doing."

 _"Well, if you guys need anything, don't hesitate to call."_

"I won't. I'll talk to you when we get back from Mississippi. Bye Aubrey."

 _"Bye Booth…thanks again."_

Booth ended the call and smiled _. 'Maybe Aubrey and Jessica will get it together this time, as long as Aubrey isn't still angry with her.'_

Deciding he was sick of the humid temperatures, the agent walked back into the house. There was an Eagles game with his name on it.


	9. Coming Home

_**So we left off with Cam & Booth in Mississippi along with Aubrey & Jessica finding their own way. Let's see what happens next.**_

* * *

Monday morning, Booth and Cam packed up the minivan and around 7:00, the two were joined by Mickey and Jean as they got ready to leave.

"Thanks for putting us up, Mickey." Booth shook the other man's hand. "We appreciate it with the short notice."

"Never a problem, Booth. Say, when are you going to bring Temperance and the kids down here to visit?"

"We were talking about where to go for Christine and Bones' Spring Break which is usually in March. Jackson is pretty nice and I think Bones would like the history of the area. Any major plans?"

"March would be great and it won't be too hot, either." After the two hugged, they let go. "Call me if there's anything else I can help you with."

"Will do. Thanks Mickey."

After sharing final goodbyes, the two got in and with Cam driving, got on I-20W for the drive to North Carolina, where they would stay with Russ and his family again before returning to DC Tuesday morning. The drive was one of comfortable silence as the two made their way east.

When they were almost to Alabama, Cam turned to her friend. "How are you doing, Booth?"

"I should be asking you that question, Cam. After all, you were the one who had to rehash through a painful and sad case as well as sort through the personal effects of your boys' dead mother."

"Well, I was sad at the loss of whom I know was a wonderful woman…and I still am. However, I think this will be good for the boys. I have an idea of what to do with something I saw in one of the boxes for a Christmas present for them."

Booth listed to his friend's plan and approved. "That's a great idea, Cam. I think Tyler especially will appreciate it."

"I hope so, Booth. I think that they still need that connection to their mother, especially now knowing all that she did to protect them. Sara Williams deserves that and I want to give that to her." Cam turned to her friend. "Now, let's talk about you. I haven't asked you where you went after your mother made an ass out of herself at the FBI because I didn't want to intrude on your privacy, but I'm asking now."

He sighed as they crossed the state line. "I drove around…then went to that pool hall in Washington Heights…you know, the one I used play pool at…"

"Oh no, Booth. You didn't…."

"No…I just sat outside trying to walk away. When I couldn't hold back any longer, I called Bones and told her where I was. After Angela dropped her off, we walked and talked for a while about what to do next."

"Booth, I would have understood if you didn't go with me this weekend…"

"Bones thought it would be a good idea for me to go, Cam. She said _'some fresh air from my mother'_ would help me and I think she was right. She called Russ like we talked about and when he and Amy said we were welcome to stay, that's when I called you."

"Now I understand why you didn't want to wait until coming home to attend a Gamblers' Anonymous meeting."

"Yeah. After I fell off the wagon a couple of years ago, I made a vow to never take chances with my sobriety like that again if I ever felt that close to the edge."

"I'm glad you did, Booth." Cam thought for a moment. "I saw Friday night that you and Russ seem to get along better. I know Dr. Brennan was a little sad he didn't come for Max's funeral."

"Well, when he talked to her about why it would be too hard on him, she understood." Booth sipped his coffee they picked up on the way. "That was why when the four of them came up for the summer, they stayed for two weeks where we had that family gathering at Max and Christine's graves."

Cam followed traffic. "I like that you all planted a tree together."

"Russ wanted to release balloons, but when Bones explained that it was danger to the environment, Hayley suggested the tree. The original one by Max and Christine was destroyed by lightening in May so getting permission from the cemetery for a new one wasn't hard."

"What made you all choose a walnut tree?" Cam sipped her coffee.

"Bones told me that one day while she and Max were on the run that they saw a walnut tree in a field and he kept staring at it. When she was finally able to get his attention, she asked what was so fascinating about it." Booth composed himself. "He told her that the first time he kissed her mother was under a walnut tree that looked just like the one in front of them and afterwards he felt like everything in the world was right."

"Very poetic coming from Max Keenan." Cam smiled. "It's a beautiful sentiment, though."

"Yeah, it is. I'm sure Max is happy to be with Christine again." Booth smirked. "Bones said they are together because they're buried side by side, but I know they're together again above us."

"I'm glad Russ and Dr. Brennan worked that out. I know several of us wondered why he wasn't there at the time."

"Yeah. The difference with that and my mother is…it was understandable why Russ didn't come. He wanted to mourn in private and was honest about it with her. I think the family service was better for all of us anyway."

"Seeley, I'm going to ask you a question and please be honest."

"You're calling me Seeley, Camille…"

"Did you schedule Jared's memorial service on the day of your stepsister's wedding on purpose…even on a subconscious level?"

"No I…I don't think I…I wasn't planning on going to the wedding because Dan and Aggie…just rub me the wrong way. Jared couldn't go to Arlington because he was dishonorably discharged. We waited to inter him because we wanted Padme involved, but she just blew us off because she still blamed us for his death. I didn't want to make Jared sit in an urn in my mancave any longer and I knew that he would want to be with our grandparents. I didn't realize until I made the arrangements that it was Aggie's wedding day. However, with the wedding in the evening, I figured my mother could at least make a damn appearance and still be there for Aggie. But no phone call, no text, nothing."

Booth stared at his hands as he continued to speak. "I saw the pictures on her Instagram of her playing mother of the bride and I was…furious. She called two days later, giving me a half-hearted apology saying that Aggie needed her more than Jared did and that she would go see him another time."

Cam looked at Booth. "Do you think she's been to visit him?"

Booth gripped the wheel. "Doubt it. She's never called me and asked where they are all interred. All she has to do is research all the Catholic cemeteries in Philly and she would find him, but that would require effort."

"I'm so sorry, Booth. Do you know what you want to do right now?"

"It is, what it is Cam and no, I don't. I really don't. A small part of me wishes that when we go next weekend to visit Pops, Grams, and Jared that by some miracle she's there, but I doubt it. I don't need the world, Cam or for her to beg. I just want her to acknowledge how much she hurt me and how much damage she caused. I don't know if we'll ever be as close as Bones and Max became, but I would like her in my life, but it has to be on my terms."

Realizing they needed some levity in the vehicle, Cam pressed forward. "Well, I know that I need a cup of coffee and a restroom right now."

Booth looked at Cam before he had a hearty belly laugh, which she joined him for. "Camille Saroyan…besides Bones, I think you're the only person who could make me laugh right now."

Getting off at the exit, Cam headed to the nearest place. "I'm glad. Thanks for coming with me to Mississippi, Booth."

"Thanks for listening to me about my mom, Cam."

 ***/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/***

Aubrey was going through the Masters' case file waiting for his profiler to show up. With the new suspects that popped up, he needed some help as it was more complicated than he anticipated.

He tried in earnest to study the facts, but he kept thinking about Jessica. Saturday night they had a blast and she gave him a kiss on the cheek goodbye yesterday morning. Booth's advice made sense, but he didn't see the need to make things awkward by talking about the bad stuff from when they dated.

Things would be fine while they worked on their friendship. It was the other part that worried him. He woke up this morning very uncomfortable from another naughty dream about Jessica, this time in his office.

"Get it together, Aubrey. Friendship is good. We'll be fine. We'll just cross that bridge when it comes. NBD."

Aubrey went back to reading his current case when he heard a knock on his door. Assuming it was his requested profiler, he didn't look up. "Come on in. I'll be just a minute then I can brief you on the case."

"Take your time. I've already been briefed on it by Agent Tanner and I have nothing else pressing today."

Aubrey groaned inwardly before looking up to see Karen with her usual oversized bag and folders. "Karen…you're the profiler for the Masters case?"

"Yes I am." Karen sat down and dug through her purse, pulling out a box of tampons, a Bluetooth speaker, and a banana. Seeing Aubrey's face, the profiler waved at him to continue. "Don't mind me, Aubrey. I'm looking for my phone with the notes I've taken so far."

"I wasn't expecting you to be my profiler."

Karen looked up and grew cool. "We have people off for Christmas. Now if I can suck it up and be professional, so can you, Agent Aubrey. Now, please read so I can study the case file , please."

Taken back by Karen's almost cold demeanor, Aubrey went back to work. "My apologies."

 ***/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/***

Brennan was getting ready to leave her office when her phone rang. Seeing who the caller was, she answered. "Booth? Are you at Russ's now?"

 _"Yeah, got in an hour ago and I wanted to check in with you. How are the kids?"_

"Christine, Hank, and I are fine. I'm sorry I missed your call last night. After putting the children to bed, I fell asleep studying the Masters case." Brennan sat down. "How was your trip to Mississippi? Did Cam get what she needed?"

 _"Yeah, she did. That Sergeant Simmons had eight boxes full of stuff. I'm glad we chose to drive instead of fly. I think the driving time is good for Cam to process what she knows. Bones, I know we read the case, but to hear about it from Sgt Simmons…it's one of the saddest cases I've ever seen. How those boys are as adjusted as they are is a credit to their late mother, decent foster parents, and being adopted by Cam and Arastoo."_

"Do you think it will help Cam now that she knows the details of the case?"

 _"I'm not sure, Bones. However, I think those things will not only be rightfully with Sara's sons, but most of all help Tyler. He was, and I think still is not only traumatized about what happened, but he feels guilt for not protecting her from their father."_

"Booth, Tyler was only 10 years old at the time. That's not logical."

 _"Bones, I know that and you know that. However, emotion trumps logic every time. Perhaps having some mementos from his childhood will help him heal and eventually become closer to Cam."_

"I'm glad the trip was successful." Brennan stood up. "I'm going to pick up the children now from the day care center. Do you want them to call you after dinner?"

 _"That would be great, Bones. We plan on leaving here first thing in the morning, so that should put us back in DC by tomorrow afternoon. I'm going to stop at the office to work on what I missed today and Cam's debating on whether to stop at the lab tomorrow or wait until Wednesday."_

"Tell her that we are fine if she wants to go home tomorrow. You two made a long trip and you both are probably exhausted." Brennan pursed her lips. "How are you feeling?"

There was silence on the other line. _"I'm glad you had me do this, Bones. I think a few days away did me some good. After hearing about Sara Williams' case, it's making me think of my mother again but I'll be all right."_

"Do you want to talk about it you get home tomorrow night?"

 _"Yeah, Bones. We will, I promise."_ Booth chuckled. _"I'll let you go so you can get the kids. We're taking Russ, Amy, Emma and Hayley out to dinner tonight as a thank you for putting us up."_

"Is Hayley doing better? Russ was worried about her this weekend with that cold she had?"

 _"Yeah, she seems to be doing much better. Emma got home for Christmas vacation on Friday and I got to see her, too. Her exams were 'killer' as she called them but she used the tips her Aunt Tempe told her and she aced all her science courses. She's on her way to becoming a forensic anthropologist just like you, Bones."_

Brennan smiled with pride as she thought of her oldest niece. "Perhaps someday she can be an intern here, also. I'll let you go. Give Russ my love and tell him we'll see them at Christmas."

"I will. I'll call you all later tonight. I love you, Bones."

"Love you, too Booth."

Brennan ended the call and sighed. She was glad she pushed Booth to accompany Cam after what happened with his mother. Her _'vibe',_ as Ms. Warren called them, was that giving Booth something to distract him and helping one of his oldest friends would help him tremendously in deciding what to do about his strained relationship with his mother.

It still scared her that he almost gambled Friday afternoon. However, he did the right thing by calling her when his sponsor wasn't available and she knew more than anyone how important maintaining his gambling sobriety was to Booth the last couple of years. Booth was a human being and he proved to be strong enough to fight the temptation to fall back into his comfort zone.

After Marianne's outburst at the FBI last week, any sense of tolerance she had for her mother-in-law ended completely. The woman refused to even attempt to truly understand the damage she had inflicted on her sons. From personal experience, it was hard to move from that protected safety zone, but if she hasn't slowly emerged from hers years before, she would be empty.

There would be no Christine, Hank, and Parker. There would be no warm relationships with her students as she trained them to carry on her knowledge to another generation. She wouldn't have had the relationships with her brother that had grown over the years…or with her father.

She still had days where her heart hurt at Max Keenan's now permanent disappearance from her daily life. A long time ago, she wished him gone but was happy he ignored her. While she was still angry with him, he never once tried to downplay what he did. He let her be angry and answered any questions that he could answer, even the painful ones. Over time, he continued to work hard to be close to her again. The ten years she had with him she would treasure forever.

Looking at the time, Brennan grabbed her bag and rushed out. Even with her status, being late at the Jeffersonian Day Care was not allowed. She already had to appeal to get Christine let back into the day care once and she didn't want to do that again.

 ***/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/***

"Jess, I can't explain it. It was like I had stepped into the Twilight Zone." Aubrey said before biting into a slider.

Jessica sipped her beer, glad that Founding Fathers was slow tonight. "That would be weird. How was it after that?"

"Totally professional. She stuck to the facts and nothing but. She was there maybe an hour and then she left. She thinks she'll have the profile in my email tomorrow morning."

"That's good. Maybe Karen is realizing that she needs to move on with her life."

"Yeah, maybe so." Aubrey said. "I'm just afraid to relax, you know? I trusted her once, just like you did, and I got burned big time."

"Well, just ignore her Superman and be the professional that I know you are." Jessica stole a shrimp from one of Aubrey's plates.

"I was pleasantly surprised to get your text about meeting after work for appetizers and drinks. It's like old times, Jess."

"I know it's not Friday when they're half price, but I thought you would be hungry."

Aubrey chewed on a potato skin. "I am actually. This case is so complicated. We have suspects but nothing definite to point towards one over the other. There's the husband of our vic whom he was separated from at the time, his current squeeze, Rafael Riccardo, a master chef at Navida, then there was the ex-wife who obviously still loved him and was bitter the vic left her for a man that he later married…ugh…"

Jessica took a chance and patted his hand. She was pleasantly surprised when he linked his fingers with hers. "You'll find out what the truth is Aubrey. I have faith in you."

"Really?"

"Really, Aubrey."

Aubrey and Jessica smiled at each other before their spell was broken by a loud male voice. "Wow, we haven't even been broken up for a month and you're already sniffing after your ex."

Jessica and Aubrey turned around to see Samir standing there slightly wobbly holding a drink in his hand. "Samir…we're just friends…"

"Yeah, right. It will be just like in Scotland when you went out with me but were pining away for this skinny turd all the time. Nice to know some things remain the same, like you being easy with guys."

Aubrey stood up and got into the other man's face. "Watch your language, Samir, or I'll forget that I'm an FBI agent and show you what this skinny turd can do with a drunk asshole that forgets how to properly talk to a woman."

The translator stared down Aubrey but when the agent didn't flinch, he looked away. "Go ahead and have her. I came here with her because I thought we had something, but I just kept the bed warm until you took her back."

"I'm sorry, Samir that I hurt you but I never made you any promises. Maybe someday when you're not so mad we can be friends again."

"Sure…great…later." The other man wobble as he walked away from the couple.

"Wow…" Aubrey turned to Jessica, who was red as a radish. "I'm sorry Jess. I really am."

"Me, too. Samir was full of himself, but he really is a nice guy and we were friends. I guess I have a talent for messing up friendships."

Taking a chance, Aubrey took her hand this time. "Just because they're messed up doesn't mean you can't fix it, Jess. It takes time, but if you really want to and can be honest, any friendship can survive bad times."

"Even with sex mixed in?" Jessica asked, still unsure.

"Even with mind-blowing sex in the equation." Aubrey smiled before glancing at his phone. "Oh crap, it's almost 10:00. You work tomorrow, don't you?"

"8 – 4 PM." Jessica finished her beer.

"Jess, why didn't you say something? You have to be up early and here I am talking your ear off about my case and other stupid stuff." Aubrey said as he gave his credit card it to the waitress.

"Because I liked talking and listening to you, Aubrey." Jessica got out her purse. "Here, let me give you some money for my beers and half of the food…"

"I got it." Aubrey saw Jessica's face and put his hand up. "Buy me dinner at the diner before the movie and we're even."

"Deal, but I'm leaving the tip." Jessica put down cash as Aubrey signed the receipt. "Oh, I guess the Cineplex changed the movie to Thursday. Is that still going to be all right? Their website said something about repairs."

"That's fine."

Aubrey helped Jessica with her coat and after putting his on, the two walked out of the pub and were hit with a cold wind. "Wow…it's freezing, but it supposed to get warmer this week."

"I hope so…" Jessica shivered until Aubrey put her arm around her. "Thanks, boy—Superman. I'm a little warmer now."

"You're welcome." Aubrey replied.

The walk was a short one to her Jeep as it was just down the street a few cars behind Aubrey's government issued SUV. He watched her unlock the vehicle before she turned around.

"So…until Wednesday, I mean Thursday?" Jessica asked.

"Until Thursday. Good night, Jess." Aubrey kissed her on the cheek and was happy to see a blush. "Text me when you get home, all right."

"I will. Good night, Superman." Jessica got in, started the vehicle, and drove away.

As Aubrey headed to his on vehicle he thought about Samir's behavior earlier. Suddenly, he stopped as he recalled something the translator said.

 _'It will be just like in Scotland when you went out with me but were pining away for this skinny turd all the time….I just kept the bed warm until you took her back.'_

What did Samir mean by that? Did she still have feelings for him while she was abroad? If she did, why the hell did she go then? Why didn't she fight for him?

Aubrey made his way to his SUV torn. He was still in love with her, but he wasn't sure he could trust her not to break his heart again.

"I don't know what the hell to do, but we're getting our friendship back and I'm good with that for now." Aubrey muttered before starting his vehicle. He hoped by the time he got home that he believed it.

 ***/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/***

 _"I read the case, but to hear you tell it…I don't know how the boys have adjusted like they did."_

Cam held the phone as she sat in Russ's backyard. "I don't know either. Tyler protected them from seeing their parents like that. Someday, they may want to know, Arastoo."

 _"If Isaiah and Jordan want to see the police record, we can't stop them, Cam, but we can be there for them. If we do half as good a job as Sara did with those boys, they'll turn out all right."_

Cam sniffled a tear and wiped it away. "Yeah."

 _"Cam, what's wrong?"_

The pathologist hoped he didn't hear her but should have known better. "Sorry…just thinking about their mother. The terror she felt…Booth thinks perhaps her sending the boys to spend the night Christmas Eve with the neighbor was more than just special plans…perhaps she even suspected he was coming and wanted to protect them. How sad…"

 _"It's a testimonial to how much she loved those boys, Cam. They're good kids and while she can't be with them now, we can help them grow into successful adults while never letting them forget her. We'll finish the job she started."_

"I know we will." Cam sipped her wine and smiled. "Have I told you how lucky I am that I married you and that we adopted those wonderful boys together?"

 _"You may have but it's always good to hear it again. I also feel lucky to have found the most amazing woman to spend my life and raise a family of four kids with."_

"Michelle isn't a kid anymore, Arastoo. She reminds me of that all the time, especially when I worry about her becoming an FBI Agent."

 _"Cam, you couldn't stop her if you tried. From what you've told me, she has a lot of her father in her and your influence in doing what's right. I can't guarantee the future, but I think she's going to be a great Agent. She's got Booth and Aubrey looking out for her, too. Plus, you were a cop so she'll have your experiences to learn about, too."_

"Well, I became a cop when I was young before I followed my true calling. I learned things as a rookie that I never should have learned, but it helped me in my career as a pathologist."

 _"That it did. If you didn't become an MD for the dead, I would have never met the love of my life. It only took you four years to finally notice me."_

Cam chuckled. "Oh be quiet you. How were the boys this weekend?"

 _"They were good. We may…or may not have gone Christmas shopping for you. I think you'll like what you got."_

"Nothing expensive, Arastoo…that's your job." The couple laughed together as Cam enjoyed the balmy weather. "It's so weird it being 70 degrees before Christmas."

 _"Well, it's going to get warmer here this week, too but there's talk of a snow storm coming for Christmas, so it's good you went to Mississippi this weekend."_

"I've got the boxes in the van which Russ was nice enough to let us park in the garage tonight for safe keeping. I just hope this makes Tyler's Christmas a little better."

 _"Me too, Cam. Good night. Love you."_

"Love you, too. Good night Arastoo. Kiss the boys for me."

 _"I will. See you tomorrow."_

"See you tomorrow."

Cam ended the call and went inside. Booth was talking to his brother-in-law and his wife. Sitting down on the couch, she waited for them to finish.

"So Emma will camp out in Hayley's room tonight, so Cam is going to get her room and you get the couch like when you were Friday." Russ said.

"That's fine."

Cam groaned. "Booth, your back is going to kill you. I'll take the couch."

The men turned to Cam. "Cam, I'm taking the couch."

The pathologist crossed her arms. "If I bring you back to Dr. Brennan with back pain, she'll use her three strikes on purpose."

Russ moved to speak but kept his mouth shut, enjoying the bickering between the old friends too much.

"Cam, you're not staying on the couch and I mean it." Booth said before turning to his in-law, who was now snickering. "And you…shut it."

Russ only laughed. "Booth, do you really want to risk the wrath of my sister?"

"I'm an independent woman, Booth. I've slept on the floor of an autopsy room. I grew up in the Bronx and was a cop in New York before becoming a pathologist."

Russ barely made himself stop laughing. "Okay, you two figure it out. Emma will be home around midnight, so don't freak out. We're going to bed. See whoever is down here tomorrow."

"Night Booth, Dr. Saroyan." Amy said before the two went upstairs.

Cam crossed her arms in defiance. "I am perfectly capable of staying down here, Booth."

"You're sleeping upstairs, Cam."

After 15 minutes of hemming and hawing, the two ended up with the same sleeping arrangements they had a couple of nights ago. As Booth got settled in on the couch, he heard his phone buzz. Expecting to see his wife's picture, instead he was greeted with his mother's phone number. Right as he was about to answer, he stopped himself and let it go to voice mail.

 _'I'll deal with it when I get home.'_

Settling in, he closed his eyes and went to sleep.


	10. A Bump In The Road

_**Today is Aubrey & Jessica's big movie date, but there's a complication. Will it be resolved by Christmas?**_

 _ **Warning: A very high 'T' due to a mature situation.**_

* * *

Aubrey was in a good mood when he came to work Thursday morning, enough that his agents were whispering about it when he wasn't around. At 10:00, he was in the break room when Genny came in.

"Boss, I have to ask. What has you in such a good mood today?"

Wanting to keep things to himself for now, Aubrey turned around. "Well…I have plans with an old friend tonight, one that I've missed being with."

Genny had heard the rumors that he was seeing Jessica again, but knew it was none of her business. "Well, whomever this friend is, I'm glad for you."

"Thanks, Genny."

As he reached for a donut his ASAC ran into Booth who came into the break room. "Don't eat all the donuts, Aubrey."

"Ha ha." Aubrey replied with his mouth full. "Don't worry, there's plenty here."

Booth poured coffee into his Steelers cup and then stole a donut. "Caffeine and donuts…you are my savior this morning…"

"Rough night?"

"Cam and I got back into town about 1:00 yesterday so I stopped in to do paperwork. Of course, Hacker called me in for some stupid ass meeting and I didn't get home until after 7:00. I got the kids settled in and every time I tried to sit down with Bones, my mother called. Yesterday it was like three times she called."

"What did she want?"

"I don't know, Aubrey. I…just need some space right now from her. Maybe after we get back from Philadelphia and Christmas I'll call her."

You said you're leaving after work Friday, right?"

"Yeah. We're going to spend a day in Philly before visiting my grandparents and Jared. We'll be driving back Christmas Eve morning."

"There's a big snowstorm coming this weekend, Booth. You may want to either delay your plans or go Friday morning and come back Saturday."

"Shit…I just took off Monday and Tuesday morning plus I'm off next week."

"Can I do anything to help?"

"No, I just need to talk to Bones at lunch and see what she wants to do since she's at a meeting right now. This is not something I want to put off until after Christmas if I can avoid it." Booth didn't miss his friend's glow. "So, tonight is the big movie date, isn't it?"

"It's not a date, Booth." Aubrey finished his coffee and started a macchiato in the cappuccino machine. "Jess and I are having a quick dinner at the diner before heading to the Cineplex."

"Angela said you stopped by the lab yesterday and brought catnip tea to Jessica." Booth smiled into his coffee cup. "Interesting…"

"Booth, I don't know what I want yet. I don't know if I'm ready to…risk more than friendship. We're just trying to work on that stuff, that's all."

Knowing Aubrey would dig in his heels if he wasn't careful, Booth munched on a donut and contemplated. "Rumor has it that Karen is your profiler on the Masters case. I bet that's interesting."

"Well, she's been all business. After she reviewed the case, she sent me a profile yesterday with her contact information if I need anything else. She's…professional."

"That's good, Aubrey. That means she won't be around to cause you drama. You don't need that shit right now since you and Jessica are working things out." Booth stole another donut. "Have you talked to Jessica yet about where you two are going?"

"No Booth because there's nothing to talk about."

Booth rolled his eyes. "You called me all in a tissy Sunday—"

"I was not in a tissy—"

"Yes you did, Aubrey. You're not sure of what to do about Jessica because you're happy to be friends again and you're not sure if you're ready to get back together romantically, but you're also still in love with her. It's obvious." Seeing Aubrey look at the floor, Booth softened his approach. "Before you even contemplate what happens next, shouldn't you talk to Jessica?"

"It's fine, Booth. We're just friends. We'll work it out."

Booth realized that Aubrey had to handle things the way he saw best. "Well, just remember what I said and keep me posted, all right. See you later."

"Yeah, see you." Aubrey grabbed his donut and macchiato and walked out. _'Jessica and I are just fine…I've got things under control.'_

 ***/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/***

Twelve hours later, Aubrey and Jessica walked out of the Cineplex, amazed at what they saw. "Superman, I've watched that movie more times than I can count, but it's still so cool."

"Yeah it is." Aubrey looked around and saw that it had rained while they were inside. "It's pretty wet out."

"Well, it's a little bit warmer than usual, too, but there's a blizzard coming this weekend."

"Booth and Dr. B were taking the kids to Philly this weekend but they may not be going now because of the upcoming storm."

"That's too bad. Stephan is going to be ready to plow the driveway when the snow comes, probably on Christmas Eve. I like the nicer temperatures, but you need a white Christmas. Hopefully it doesn't keep my family away on the 26th."

Aubrey led Jessica as they headed down the sidewalk, glancing over at her more than once. Her hair was down again tonight. With the above average temperatures, she was wearing a knee length skirt and boots with a deep green sweater that brought out her eyes. The baser side of him wanted to kiss her, but he pushed it aside. _'We're being friends again…we're being friends again…'_

He really didn't want the night to end as it another example of how it used to be for them. Hanging out, joshing together, and having fun like friends did. But did friends have dirty thoughts about pulling her into a nearby alley, pulling off her panties and nailing her against the building?

"No they don't…" He muttered to himself.

"Aubrey, what's wrong?"

Startled that his thoughts were voiced out loud, he looked over at Jessica, who was watching him. "Um…I was thinking about stuff."

"Me, too. I'm glad we're hanging out again, Aubrey. I missed this a lot this summer and when I came back to DC…a lot."

 _'Then why didn't you tell me? Why did you go to Scotland and not tell me goodbye?'_ Aubrey asked himself. Shaking off his anger, he smiled. "Me, too."

"Hey, want to go get ice cream at that little shop by your apartment?" Jessica asked shyly. "It's wet but decent out and there's a full moon out, too which is weird."

Happy that she didn't want the night to end either, Aubrey smiled. "Sounds great. Lead to way Ms. Warren."

 ***/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/***

Thirty minutes later, the two walked out licking their cones. As they got halfway down the block, their hands linked together as they talked about different things.

"I liked The _Last Jedi_ better than _The Force Awakens_." Jessica said. "I think it's because Luke is teaching Rey the ways of the Jedi."

"I have to agree. Han got killed off in the last one and that sucked."

Jessica smiled. "I remember that you gave me a napkin when you saw me cry."

"Any gentleman would, Jess. I was a little misty eyed myself." Aubrey, feeling nostalgic, continued speaking. "Plus, I got to see it with you, which made it more special."

Arriving on Aubrey's stoop, Jessica turned to him and the moment became charged. The redhead's feelings were moving back and forth between her head telling her to be careful and her heart telling her to go for it. "It was special for me, too, Superman. A lot of things are more special with you."

Aubrey's stance to be careful was ebbing away as he looked at her green eyes and heard her loving words. Unable to stop himself, he inched closer. "Most women I've met don't appreciate the amazing saga that is Star Wars you know."

"Some guys loved that I was into Star Wars and some thought it was stupid." Jessica whispered. "You like the fact that I love science fiction and that I'm smart."

 _'Your brain has always been a major turn on for me, Jessica….'_ Aubrey forgot about Booth's words of caution as he couldn't stop himself. "Yeah I do…"

Drawing her close, Aubrey's lips landed on Jessica and what started as a simple kiss turned passionate very quickly. Needing air, they reluctantly broke apart.

"I should go home now…it's late…" Jessica whispered without making a move towards her Jeep parked down the block.

"Yeah, we have to work tomorrow…" Aubrey whispered back before they came together again. As the agent's lips traced down her smooth neck, he couldn't stop him if he tried. "Spend the night with me, Jessica…"

Her inner voice that was screaming CAUTION was pushed out of the way when she felt his hands roam down her back. "What if I get a ticket?"

"I'll pay the fucking fine if you get one." Aubrey moaned into her neck. "I just want to be close to you right now…"

The next few minutes were a blur as the couple rushed into the brownstone and into Aubrey's first floor apartment. Letting them inside, the agent had barely locked the door before pushing Jessica against it. Their hands roamed in between the two of them kicking off their shoes and pulling at each other's clothes. Before they knew it, they were naked on his couch with him on top of her. However, it wasn't long before Aubrey thought of something.

"Jess…my condoms are in the bedroom. Um…"

Knowing what he was asking, she answered. "I'm still on the Pill. Samir and I always used condoms. You were the only one I never did, James…"

"You were the only one, too." Aubrey moaned as the two came together and loved each other for the first time in nine months.

After a joint climax, they laid together on the couch in silence, covered only with the afghan Aubrey pulled down to cover them.

"Aubrey…what does this mean?"

The agent rubbed her back as he held her close. "I'm not sure what you mean, Jess."

"Yes you do." Jessica said as she laid with her head on his chest.

Aubrey didn't know how to answer her logical question but to be honest. "To answer your question…I don't know, Jessica. At this moment, I just know that I love you."

The redhead gently rubbed his chest as she dozed off. "I love you, too, Aubrey."

 ***/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/***

Six hours later, Aubrey woke with a start from nightmare about Jessica leaving him again. Feeling discombobulated, he looked around and realized he was back in his apartment. Looking down, he saw Jessica curled up next to him.

 _'Did we rush things? Was sleeping together a good idea or just some nostalgic fun with the ex? She says she loves but was it just because I said it first? Was it because we slept together?'_ Aubrey postulated. _'I need to think…I need to think, but I can't just kick Jessica out…'_

Suddenly, his phone ringing pulled him from his thoughts. Looking around, he saw the phone glowing from his pants that were lying near the kitchen. Moving himself from Jessica, he barely answered it on the last ring.

"Hello? You're shitting me? Yeah, I'm on my way." Aubrey hung up and searched for his boxer shorts as Jessica sat up.

"Aubrey, what's wrong?"

Finding his shorts, he tugged them on before slipping on his jeans. "One of my suspects in the Masters case was shot at twenty minutes ago and he's at the ER now. I've got to go, Jess. I'm sorry. You can stay and get some sleep."

Someone about Aubrey's demeanor set Jessica on edge. "No, I'll get up. I'll go home, get cleaned up and go to the lab a little early to do some research before I start work. Do you want to have lunch today?"

"I'm not sure…especially with what's going on." Aubrey came over and kissed her quickly. "I've got to go Jess. I'm going to be busy today but I'll try to call you today or tomorrow, all right?"

Jessica knew a brush off when she heard one. It wasn't the first time but that it came from Aubrey hurt a great deal. "Of course. I'll talk to you later."

Running into his bedroom, Aubrey emerged with his sidearm, which he holstered before grabbing his phone, wallet, and keys. "Do you mind feeding Skinner before you leave?"

Holding back tears, Jessica forced a smile. "Sure. His food in the same place?"

"Yep, under the sink. I'll call you soon." Aubrey said before rushing out of the apartment.

Getting into his SUV, he started it up and rushed over to Medstar George Washington Hospital. Through his panic he could still see Jessica's face as he left and it cut him. He'd never made love to a woman and ran out on them, but that's what he did to Jessica.

 _'Work called…she understands.'_ Aubrey thought until he realized something else. _'Like she understood when I got that phone call during the Radik case, but she was breaking up with me…'_

Aubrey arrived at the hospital and shook his head. _'She's fine Aubrey. You just need some space is all. Now get back into the game because it's work time.'_

 ***/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/***

Jessica got dressed and fed Skinner before leaving Aubrey's apartment. Getting in her Jeep, she drove back to Maryland with many questions in her mind.

 _'Did we go too fast? I had a plan to be careful, but the way his eyes looked at me…damn it, I could never resist them once he kissed me. Now he's freaking out because we slept together…but so am I. He knows how much I love him, right? Surely he knows from the letter I left him before going to Scotland last summer.'_

Crossing the border into Maryland, Jessica continued her mental argument. _'Jessica…get over yourself. He got a call about the case he's working on. He's told you how important it is and it involves the Pentagon. He's just worried about it, that's all. You're projecting…all is good.'_

"I'm just psyching myself out for no reason. I'm fine. Aubrey's fine. We're fine….no big deal. We're all good."

After a quick run home to change, she came back to DC and had about 90 minutes to spare before going to work at the lab. Deciding on breakfast, she headed into the diner and sat up at the counter, where she ordered oatmeal and a side of eggs and coffee. As she was reading her phone, she heard a familiar voice.

"Hello, Jessica."

The redhead turned around and saw Samir standing there. "Hi, Samir." She replied before turning back to her phone.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"What about, Samir?" She replied frostily. "I'm not in the mood to fight with you."

"Neither am I." Seeing her surprise, he sat down in the seat next to her and turned to the waitress. "Tea, please."

Feeling mixed up about earlier with Aubrey and tired, she waited impatiently for Samir to get his tea together. "Not that it isn't fun watching you squeeze lemon in your tea, but can you get to the point of why you're making my breakfast cold."

"Of course." The translator saw the impatient look on the redhead and he couldn't blame her. "I'm sorry for the nasty things I said to you a few nights ago. They were uncalled for."

Jessica didn't expect to hear that. "Oh…"

"There's more. I was an ass and not just a few nights ago." Samir sipped his tea. "I knew deep down that you were still in love with that Aubrey guy still, but I pursued you because I've always liked you Jessica. You were right that there was an understanding about our relationship when you were ready to move back to the States, but I…wasn't ready to let go yet, so I followed you here, hoping that maybe…we could grow into more than a summer fling, but…we would never be more than that, would we, Jessica?"

"No." She said quietly. "You know about the letter I left Aubrey before I went to the UK?" When Samir nodded, she continued. "Well, when you made your interest known, I was still hopeful that he would swoop in and declare his feelings for me. However, I never heard from him and…I did care about you. I'm so sorry, Samir…"

The translator put his hand on Jessica's. "I'm not. I was blessed to be reacquainted with an old friend that I cared for…and who also cared for me enough to try to be honest. She also cared enough that when I followed her to the States she tried to return my affection. Jessica, I would really, really like to be your friend…for real this time."

Jessica squeezed his hand. "I would like that, Samir, a lot. We have some good memories at the cooperative when we were kids."

Relieved, Samir smiled. "Okay, as a friend, I hope things work out with that Aubrey guy. You deserve to be happy, Jessica."

"You do, too." Jessica stood up and they hugged. "Let's get together for dinner, soon, okay? I want to hang out with you before you go to Canada."

"Sounds good." Samir stood up. "I have to get to the Embassy but I'll call you after your Christmas, all right?"

"Sounds great." Jessica watched her friend walk out the door and hail a cab. "I'm glad Samir and I are friends again. Now, I just have to figure out Aubrey."

 ***/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/***

Cam got the boys around for school as Jordan chatted on about the blizzard coming. "We're getting snow, Mom! I've never seen snow."

"Well, we don't have it yet, Jordan, so you still have to go to school."

"Mom will they cancel school? Down in Mississippi they close the roads, school…everything. But there's never enough snow for a snowman?" Her youngest asked.

"It's not going to hit hard until Saturday night, buddy, so you'll probably have to go to school. However, you'll have snow for Christmas."

"Yay!" The youngest boy cheered until he stopped. "Wait, will Santa Claus be able to find us with all that snow?"

Tyler sat down and put his shoes on. "For crying out loud, Jordan, there's no Santa Claus! Quit being a baby!"

Jordan looked at his big brother and tears began to well up. "Santa Claus is real!"

"No he's not! He's mean and hurts people, Jordan. Start getting used to that now." Tyler retorted right back.

"Tyler, that's enough!" Cam yelled back. "You will stop being mean right now."

The teenager looked at Cam with angry eyes. "Just because the law says you're my guardian doesn't mean you're my mom! My brothers depend on me to take care of them, not just for you to give us money and lie to them."

"You're mean and I hate you, Tyler!" Jordan yelled back before running outside.

When he turned to Isaiah for support, what he found instead was his younger brother looking at him with shame before turning to follow his brother outside. "You guys…"

"Leave us alone, man. You're being a brat and I'm ashamed you're my brother."

Tyler watched his brother leave looking absolutely stricken. "But…"

Hearing the commotion, Arastoo entered the room to see Cam standing by saying nothing as Tyler stood in front of the door. "Cam, I…what happened?"

"Arastoo, take Tyler to school, please, but before he goes in, he needs to give you his cell phone. He will also have no television until the end of the month and no computer as well. He has been disrespectful not only to me but to his brothers one too many times." Cam was done walking on eggshells around her oldest son. "I'll call you when I get to work and explain everything."

Arastoo saw the unshed tears in his wife's eyes. "Cam, what—"

"I have to take Isaiah and Jordan to school, Arastoo. Please excuse me." The pathologist said before getting her purse and walking out into the bitterly cold December day.

Tyler felt a pit in his stomach as he saw Cam's sadness but pushed his anger back to the surface. 'She's wrong…she's not my mom…Dad…'

Turning to his oldest son, Arastoo held out his hand. "Cell phone, right now. You'll explain to me what happened in the car."

 ***/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/***

At 10:00, Booth stomped back to Homicide. He and Bones were going to still try making the trek to Philadelphia this afternoon and make a morning visit to his grandparents and brother so they could get back to DC before the blizzard hit. Unfortunately, the body dump he was called to at 5:30 blew those plans.

Angela used her remote access to her Angelatron to get him an ID as well as a video showing the murder. Booth tracked down the suspect only to have found him hanging in his shower. Between writing up the scene and all the reports, there was no way the family could leave town today. With a heavy heart, they rescheduled their trip to Philly for after Christmas.

He knew that it didn't make him a bad brother and grandson for not being there on Christmas weekend. His family's safety was tantamount, and he knew Pops would agree with him.

 _'Shrimp, driving your family in this shit just to see some stones is plain ass stupid. They're still going to be here after Christmas.'_

Just as he sat down, his phone rang again and he saw it was his mother. Groaning, he almost answered but once again chickened out and let it go to voice mail.

"What the hell is wrong with me? She may be calling to apologize…but she could also be calling with another sob story…I don't need that shit right now."

Shaking off his somber thoughts, he turned on his computer and began the series of reports he had to do while he waited for Bones and the lab to do their autopsy on the vic and the suspect.

 ***/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/***

Aubrey finished his cup of coffee in the break room before deciding on another one. Getting only drops out, he grumbled as he grabbed a filter and coffee to make a fresh pot. As he waited impatiently, he felt a buzz in his pocket. Grabbing his phone, he saw the message and groaned.

 ** _How is your case, Superman? Are u free 4 lunch?_**

Aubrey closed his eyes and felt like a coward as he sent his reply. **_Case has me swamped. No time 4 lunch. Sorry._**

Last night was amazing. It was he and Jessica had never been apart as he used his intimate knowledge to explore her body on his couch before making her cry out. He didn't mean for them to make love…he really didn't…but he didn't know what came over him.

Yes he did…they were having fun like old times…he was swept up in nostalgia and the warm feelings he had before. All common sense he had to maintain only a friendship went down the drain when they stood on his steps and he lost himself in those large, beautiful green eyes.

He was in love with her, but he was scared to death…and he didn't know what to do. He needed time to think about what to do next. He felt like such a heel, especially with the look on her face as he left this morning.

He left her on his couch, hair all mussed and looking beautiful. He barely kissed her goodbye because he was afraid he would fall back into her arms again, even with a body waiting for him.

"I told Jessica that I love her before running off like a coward, but I asked her to feed my cat. I'm an asshole."

Time and space…that's what he needed. Maybe he could call her after Christmas once he had some time to get himself together and they would come to a mutual and mature decision on what to do next. They were adults and she would understand his caution as he needed to be sure she wouldn't leave him again.

Getting his coffee, he was about to head back to his office when he ran into Deputy Director Stark. "Sorry sir…I didn't mean to run into you…got a lot going on with the Masters case."

"Yes, I bet you do. How is the victim in today's shooting?"

"Mr. Riccardo only received a flesh wound in his arm. Says he couldn't see his attacker but thinks it's the same person who killed Mr. Masters."

Stark nodded. "Well, hopefully that's true or else this case is going to get messier. Oh, I was looking for you because the Director is with the Joint Chiefs and they wanted a briefing by you on what you have so far. Do you have time to come with me to his office?"

Grateful for the distraction, Aubrey nodded affirmatively. "Yeah. I'll just go get the case file from my desk and meet you there if you like in say, ten minutes?"

"Sounds good, Agent Aubrey."

Racing to his office, Aubrey grabbed the file and knocked on Genny's door. "Heading to the director's office. He wants a personal briefing on the Masters case."

"Cool." Genny nodded. "See you later."

 ***/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/***

"So Angela, you think we can do that?"

The artist sipped her decaf tea as she and Cam sat in her art studio with Jeffrey asleep in a nearby basinet. "We definitely could, Cam. I think your boys will love what you're doing and I think it's great that you are working so hard to keep their mother's memory alive."

"I don't want to replace her, but have a little niche of our own, you know?" Cam sipped her coffee. "I'm there with Isaiah and Jordan, but Tyler…"

"Yeah, Cam…I'm sorry about what happened this morning. He sounds like he has a lot of feelings that he's trying to process. However, you did the right thing punishing him for being disrespectful to you."

"Why do I feel like this monster, then, Angela?" Cam asked quietly.

"Because you're a mom." Angela said with a smile. "Remember how you were with Michelle first came to live with you. You two had some growing pains but you gave her discipline when she needed it and you two are very close. Tyler is hurting, Cam, that's obvious, but he also needs to respect you and Arastoo."

"I know…it's just hard to face his…hostility. We weren't close but…friends in Mississippi, but once he came to DC there was a…freeze of sorts, especially once the adoption went through. Ever since Thanksgiving though, he's been…a nightmare."

Angela took her friend's hand. "Cam, I know that it doesn't feel like it, but you're doing a great job. Maybe Tyler should talk to a professional. I know you said how his mother died was pretty brutal…and on Christmas no doubt."

Cam nodded. "I just hope I did the right thing going to Mississippi…"

"Cam, you did an amazing thing for those boys. They're going to love their Christmas presents, I guarantee it. As for Tyler, just hang in there, all right? He'll come around."

"All right, I will…"

 ***/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/***

Aubrey left the meeting lamenting the fact that it was an hour of his life that he would never get back. It seemed every military official had to put their two cents into the case. He was the FBI agent, not the Joint Chiefs, not the Rear Admiral who worked closely with their victim.

As he turned the corner to return to his division, he almost collided into Genny. "Hey, sorry…where's the fire?"

"The lab just called. Hodgins was able to test the material they found on the knife they found in the dumpster by the chef's restaurant. It was Masters' blood but look what else they found on it."

"What did he…" He took the sheet Genny handed him and read it. "You have got to be shitting me. Wow...listen did you find anything else?"

"Yeah. You were right about the permits. He does have one and also owns a .25 caliber pistol."

Aubrey pursed his lips. "What he did this morning was a very sloppy move, but we still need a confession. I think we can get it, though."

"Me, too. He was an arrogant ass." Genny said. "Want me to have him brought in?"

"Yes, immediately. Call me when he comes in, all right?"

"Will do, Boss."

 _'Finally we catch a break…I love being right about assholes.'_ Aubrey thought as he realized he was hungry. Making his way through the bullpen, he was debating on what to pull from his food stash until he could get a meal when he saw Jessica in his office.

"Shit…she's the last person I wanted to see right now."

He considered ducking aside but when she saw him and smiled, he had no choice but to go see her. "Hey Jess."

"Hi Superman." Jessica continued to lay out boxes on the desk. "Since there was nothing going on after this morning's vic, Dr. B said I could take a long lunch if I wanted. I thought you would like some lunch before I go Christmas shopping."

"You didn't have to go to all that trouble, you know…" Aubrey was uncomfortable with the redhead's presence in his office.

"I know, but I wanted to." Jessica forced a smile on her face. "I fed Skinner this morning so he should be all set until you get home."

"Great, thanks." Aubrey sat down and started reading his file, ignoring the food Jessica set out.

"Aubrey, are you all right?" Jessica asked. "You seem…stressed."

Desperate to get her out of his office so he could think, he did the only thing he could do. "Yes, Jessica, I'm fine. I'm just really busy right now. I'm sorry that I'm not Mr. Happy Go Lucky, all right? I'm a Special Agent in Charge who has a very important case to work with the Joint Chiefs of Staff breathing down my neck and you're here expecting me to entertain you."

"Wow…I'm sorry. I just wanted to stop and say hi to you and bring you lunch since I knew you would be busy."

Aubrey saw the hurt look in the redhead's eyes and regretted his harsh words, but he was full of mixed emotions right now about her. "I'm sorry…I just don't have time for you right now."

"Wow…all right…um, do you want to hang out tonight or Saturday?" Jessica asked hopefully.

"I don't know, Jessica. This case is kicking me in the ass." Aubrey said as he read his file without looking up at her before he felt a Styrofoam container and what smelled like a hot tuna melt smeared all over him. "What the fuck, Jessica?"

"I thought I might have been imagining things this morning when you practically ran out of your apartment after we made love, but it's obvious that you weren't looking to be with me…you wanted a damn booty call. It just sucks I wasted $12.50 on you before I realized that."

"Wait just a fucking minute here!" Aubrey tossed the box with remaining food in the garbage. "I'm sorry that I'm not up for constantly entertaining you today but just because we had sex doesn't mean we're instantly back together. I mean…we may have rushed things…"

"You were the one who asked me to spend the night with you, Aubrey…not the other way around. You asked me! You pushed to make love, I didn't. Now that shit got real, you're freaking out again. Damn it, Aubrey…how could you do this to me?"

"How could I?" Aubrey was incensed at the woman's inability to see what was wrong. "You were the one who freaked out when I told you I was serious about you months ago. You were the one who had the fit because I got drunk at a wedding…and it was you who dumped me in an interrogation room six hours after I asked you to move with me to California because I loved you!"

Aubrey saw her mouth open but the words just spilled out before she could respond. "Then once you found out that I stayed you suddenly decided that I was worthy to speak to again…that is, until you took off for Scotland where you hooked up with Samir. You come home with another guy…dump him after Thanksgiving, and then hook up with me and you ask how I could do this to you? How about how the hell could you mess with me again? Damn it Jessica! You already broke my heart once…now you want a second chance at it?"

 _'How could he think that about me after I told him how I felt in that letter? Do I really know James Aubrey at all?'_

Not wanting to fall apart in front of the agent, Jessica steeled her spine. "It's pretty convenient that you blame me for everything, but you fucked up too, Aubrey. You shut me out about your father over and over, then you get an offer for a promotion. You accept it right away without talking to me first. Then you talk about what to do next with everyone…including Karen Delfs, except for me, your girlfriend. You got shit faced at Arastoo's wedding when I caught the bouquet and then wake up making jokes about threesomes with Karen! What makes things so perfect is that when you finally have the balls to talk to me about the promotion, it's when you ask me to move across the country with you at a CRIME SCENE!"

Aubrey wasn't prepared for such a succinct list of his mistakes. "I—"

"Shut up!" Jessica was fired up and not willing to back down anymore. "When I found out that you stayed I tried to call you for a month but you ignored me. I tried email, Twitter Direct Message, Facebook Messenger, letters in the mail, nothing. You cut me off, Aubrey and ignored me whenever we worked together unless you were forced to speak to me, but Karen Delfs was worthy of your time. More than once, she posted about the stuff you two did together!"

"We went to dinner a couple of times and we hung out—" Aubrey braced when Jessica held up another Styrofoam container. "Quit throwing shit at me!"

"Then shut up, Aubrey!" Jessica tossed the container on the desk. "Now, you had a right to date other people, but don't you dare get all sanctimonious on me because I left town to live my own life instead of sitting around waiting for you to finally decide to bless me with your wit and conversation. That is not fair."

The redhead leaned into the desk. "After all I did to talk to you, you ignored me, so I'm entitled to move on with my life…much like you did when you got snockered and fucked Karen Delfs."

Aubrey didn't like the truth in Jessica's words. "Just a damn minute—"

"You're a hypocrite, James Aubrey!" The intern spit at him, cutting the air in the room with her ice cold voice. "I can't believe after all I did to get you to forgive me. I wanted to be friends with you again so badly. When you gave that toast on Thanksgiving, I…was so hopeful that you wouldn't hate me anymore and maybe be my friend again…and maybe someday love me again like I've always loved you, but that was just wishful thinking."

Aubrey got a sick feeling in his stomach at the coldness in Jessica's eyes. "Jess—"

"Enough. You want to know what went wrong in your relationship and why you're so miserable? Look in the damn mirror. I'm done apologizing to you because I'm tired of you blaming me for everything. Better yet, I'm just done with you."

Jessica took two steps away before turning around and digging in her purse. Finding what she needed, she crumbled it and tossed it at Aubrey, who barely caught it. "Here, pay that you jerk!"

Aubrey could do nothing but stand as Jessica stormed out of his office and cut a path across the bullpen, almost knocking an agent over in the process. Gulping, he opened the crumpled ball to see a parking ticket Jessica received this morning.

"Great, I'm wearing tuna, had a fight with Jessica, and I get to pay her damn parking ticket...could this day get any worse?"

Hearing a knock on the door, Aubrey didn't even look up as he wiped off his suit. "Come in."

"So, I hear Hodgins got some evidence that points to our killer?"

Looking up, Aubrey saw Karen perky and happy. "Yeah. Should be here soon."

"Great. I can't wait to bust him."

Aubrey sat down, lamenting the turn his day had taken. _'Yep, it got worse.'_

 ***/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/***

Jessica kept herself together until she got in her Jeep, where she broke down crying. She didn't intend to spew the vitriol that she did at Aubrey, but his indifferent attitude finally broke her. She knew he wasn't with her for a booty call, but she couldn't deal with him blaming her for everything anymore. Until Aubrey could come to her and open up, she would have to move on with her life.

Making a phone call, she waited for an answer. "Dr. B, will it be all right if I go home instead of coming back?...no, nothing's wrong, I just got a call from Mr. Cho about an update on my apartment…okay…Merry Christmas, Dr. B."

Starting up her Jeep, Jessica looked for traffic before pulling out. "This is going to be the shittiest Christmas ever."


	11. The Ugly Truth

_**Christmas 2017 is just around the corner folks. Booth and Aubrey have decisions to make. How will they go about it?**_

* * *

Booth was in his office working on the February 2018 budget when he got an email alert. Expecting it to be from Bones or the lab, he instead before annoyed when he saw it was from Reggie's son, Dan. He almost deleted it, but his curiosity got the best of him, so he clicked on it.

 ** _Booth:_**

 ** _I just want to say that Aggie and I sincerely apologize for upsetting you like we did last week. Mom has been pretty upset about the estrangement between you two and we wanted to help. Obviously, it made things worse as you two are now not speaking. Please accept our apologies._**

 ** _Mom has been trying to call you because she would like to resolve this conflict, but you are ignoring her and that's not right. You have a right to be angry, but you need to have the maturity to talk to her. Please do so as you two should settle things before the holidays. You are our stepbrother of course._**

 ** _If you choose to not accept Mom's invitation to Tahoe on New Year's Eve, Aggie and I wish you and your family a Merry Christmas._**

 ** _Dan._**

"Obviously you didn't learn anything from when my wife told your self-righteous ass off last week." Booth growled at the screen. "Easy to have an opinion up in your ivory corporate law firm tower when you had my mother most of your life and I didn't. Bite me."

The agent knew it wasn't the best idea, but it would make him feel better. Pulling up his Gmail account online, he copied the message text into a new message before finishing his reply with the following closer:

 ** _My relationship with my mother is none of your business. My wife has told you once and now I'm giving you a final warning to butt out or next time, I'll come to your fancy law office and kick your sanctimonious butt in front of your colleagues._**

Hitting _'send'_ , he smiled as he pictured the look on Dan's smug face falling in shock. Bones would call it immature, but he was tired of his mother's stepchildren hounding him and his family. "Aggie is tolerable but I've never liked that holier than thou asshole."

Hearing a buzz, he looked at his phone and his moment of triumph died as his mother sent another text.

 ** _Seeley, I need to talk to you. I know you're angry but please…let's settle this._**

His mother had left several messages on his voice mail and sent text messages asking to speak to him over the last several days. Sure, he could give in but knowing her he would just be hearing another sob story about how she was a victim and that he was being rude. No, he wasn't giving in just yet. He'll come to her when he's ready.

 ***/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/***

In an interrogation room on the other side of the 4th floor, Aubrey and Karen stared down Evan Masters' killer to get a confession.

"So why did you do it, Rafael?" Aubrey asked.

"Do what?" The chef replied in an annoyed tone as he nursed his arm in a sling. "I was shot early this morning while leaving my restaurant and I was there when your agent banged on my door and told me to come with them down here. If anything, you should be apologizing to me. Frankly, I want to know why you aren't out there trying to find Evan's killer? Whoever killed the man I love shot at me, too. Do your damn jobs!"

"I'm sorry…I guess I should have said at the beginning that we know who shot you, Rafael."

Rafael looked stunned for a moment before stuttering. "That…that's good. Who was it?"

"We'll get to that in a minute, Mr. Riccardo." Karen said before turning to Aubrey. "But Agent Aubrey needs you to answer his question."

Impatient, the chef looked back at the SAC. "What are you asking me, Agent Aubrey?"

Deciding to knock the arrogant man off his pedestal a bit, Aubrey meandered. "Well, we not only found out who shot you this morning, but who also killed your boyfriend."

Surprised, the chef recovered quickly. "Thank God. Now, was it that bitch of an ex-wife or was it that jealous asshole soon to be ex-husband Ken? He couldn't let go so Evan and I could be happy. I hope you throw the book at him."

"Oh we will, but it was neither of them, Rafael because you're the one who killed Evan." Aubrey slid across a paper to the chef. "This is a lab report on the stab wounds Dr. Saroyan found during her autopsy. The blade was a perfect match to your missing butcher knife that we found stuck behind the dumpster outside of your restaurant."

"Someone broke into my kitchen?" Rafael looked concerned. "How?"

"We'll get to that, but there was something else Dr. Hodgins found when he compared all the material found on the blade." Aubrey played with his pen. "There was food along with odds and ends on it, but also significant traces of truffle oil."

"You can find that at any specialty shop. This is bullshit." The chef slid the paper back at Aubrey and Karen before gripping his arm which was in a sling. "I didn't kill my lover, Agent Aubrey. We were very, very happy together."

"You're a liar, Rafael." Karen said, pulling out phone records. "Right before he died, Mr. Masters made several phone calls to his estranged husband, Ken. Ken didn't return the calls, and he thought he deleted the voicemails until today when he found them while deleting things off his phone."

Opening her laptop, the profiler started the file, which had several sounds in the background. _"Kenny, I love you…I know Rafael said that we were staying together but we're not. I told him yesterday that I'll never feel for him what I feel for you. I love you…I want our marriage to work…I'm so sorry for…hurting you…hopefully someday you can forgive me…I'm heading to Rafael's restaurant right now to get my stuff before I find a hotel to stay at. I love you, Kenny…"_

Aubrey waited for her to stop the recording. "This was the last call Mr. Masters made before he died, which was about an hour before Dr. Saroyan's estimated time of death. It's interesting because you told us that you hadn't heard from him at all on the day he died because you were in Charlottesville in a cooking seminar. However, when we double checked with the hotel, no one saw you after you checked in."

"That means you have no alibi for your boyfriend's murder." Karen chimed in.

"But I was shot at!" Rafael looked desperate. "Obviously whoever tried to kill me killed Evan, too out of jealousy."

"Rafael, you're a good-looking man but you got dumped by a man fifteen years your senior because he wanted to reconcile with his spouse. That had to really suck and I'm sure it really bruised your very active ego." Karen stated. "We think you called him to meet you, saying you had his stuff."

"When he arrived at the restaurant, you were the only there since it was closed that night. When he arrived, you tried to talk him into staying…" Aubrey said before being interrupted by Karen.

"Maybe even tried a spur of the moment _'hide the salami'_ , either as a last ditch effort to reconcile or as a goodbye…"

 _'Ugh, Karen…'_ Aubrey fought to keep his face straight. "…but he wasn't interested in you, just in getting his stuff. You got so enraged that you stabbed him repeatedly with the knife that we found out in the dumpster."

"You can't prove it was my truffle oil."

"Yes we can." Aubrey smirked. "Your truffle oil is handmade by you with white truffles, the same ones you bragged out when I first interviewed you at your kitchen. You have a distinct style of measurements of each item that you use in making it and its makeup matches what was on the knife. You killed him, Rafael, and we've got you."

"The real killer tried to kill me too with a .25 caliber!"

"How did you know it was a .25 caliber?" When the chef was silent, Aubrey pulled out another report. "I know you know because you used it to shoot yourself to throw suspicion off you. This was the last call Mr. Masters made before he died. We did some research and found out that you own a similar gun. While you were at the restaurant, we got a warrant and found the gun. We got the results right before coming in here and the bullet came from your gun, Rafael."

The chef began to sweat before he spilled his guts. "It wasn't just me! She promised me that it was just a phase and that he was coming back to me. She told me how he always bragged about our sex life and how I was the love of his life…she told me…that bitch owns a .25 caliber, too."

"Who told you Rafael?" Aubrey inquired.

 ***/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/***

"You set all this in motion, didn't you?" Karen asked thirty minutes later in another interrogation room with Aubrey and their interviewee.

"He left me!" Andrea Masters screeched. "That bastard was supposed to always love me but he left me for another man! He was my world….my heart…and he didn't care that he destroyed me. Oh, he always said how sorry he was for how things turned out. When that bastard asked me to be friends with him and his male whore, he pushed me too far…"

"Evan, Ken, and you?" Aubrey asked. "I bet that would be a slap in the face."

"It was! I did everything for him…I was understanding when he needed time to himself…I didn't divorce him when he said he was bisexual…I had even forgiven him for an affair he had with a male colleague of his who sent him stupid letters begging my husband to leave me, but I hid those. He was my husband!"

The ex-wife's last comment struck a nerve in Karen. "You manipulated their relationship just to keep him?"

"Of course, I did. He was mine. I almost had him back with me…then he met Ken. Next thing I know, he wants a divorce. Then, before the damn ink is dry on the papers, they ran off and got married because same sex marriage became legal in DC. I thought it was just a phase…and when I found out that they separated, I was so happy until I realized that he was dating another man! I couldn't get this one to stay away from my husband, so I decided to use the stupid asshole to destroy Evan's marriage instead."

"You asked him to murder your ex?"

"No, I just wanted Evan's marriage destroyed. That way, he would come back to me…that's all that I had ever wanted. Rafael was only supposed to make Ken divorce Evan…"

The profiler began to feel sick. "…and then he would come to you for comfort…and one thing would lead to another…"

"Yes!" The older woman said passionately. "Then he would see that we were meant to be together and he wasn't a homosexual. You get it!"

"But he didn't divorce Ken and he was murdered instead. Is that why you were going to kill Rafael?" Aubrey asked. "You figured out what happened and were going to kill him, but couldn't do it, could you?"

The woman merely nodded. "I was so full of…rage. I found the pistol Evan got me years ago and went to his restaurant about 4:30 this morning. I pointed it at him, but he laughed at me before knocking it out of my hands. I grabbed it and ran away. He killed my Evan! I just wanted him to divorce Ken and come back to me!"

Aubrey saw the woman burst into tears but he felt no sympathy for her. "Well, you may have intended for Evan to just have a broken heart, but your anger caused you to lose the man you loved permanently, Ms. Masters."

"I didn't mean for this to happen. I loved Evan…I just wanted him back with me like it was supposed to be…"

"As much as you profess it, you didn't love your ex-husband, because if you really did, you would want him to be happy because that is what love is about…not about possession." Aubrey spit out. "I would love to charge you with conspiracy to commit murder, but under the law, you committed no crime."

"It seems, Ms. Masters that your punishment is worse than anything the courts could charge you with even if they could." Karen said.

Before Aubrey could contribute, he heard Genny through his earpiece. "Boss, Samir Vashir is in your office. I told him you were in an interrogation, but he said he would wait to speak with you."

Aubrey didn't want to deal with the man, but his curiosity got the best of him. "We're done here, Ms. Masters. I'll have an agent take you home where you can cry your crocodile tears."

Karen followed Aubrey out of the room, surprised. After the door closed, she stopped Aubrey. "It's interesting that Samir wants to speak to you."

"I really don't care why, Karen."

The profiler saw the tightened jaw. "You seem pretty irritated Aubrey. I heard that Jessica visited you earlier—"

"I'm not having a very good day, Karen and the last thing I want to do to confide in you. We've had a wonderful professional relationship the last few days. Let's keep it that way."

Karen watched Aubrey storm off. The fight the two had in his office was all over the FBI and the happiness she thought she would feel was instead emptiness. Furthermore, the interview with Andrea Masters made her put her relationship with Aubrey, including her actions of the last several months, in perspective. More and more, she didn't like what she was seeing.

Shaking off her unease, Karen walked away to International Operations. She needed to go over a profile with Charlie Burns before meeting again with Agent Bower in Major Crimes _._

 _'They would work it out…of course they would.'_

 ***/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/***

Aubrey took his time getting back to his office, stopping for a cup of coffee. As he made his way back to Major Crimes, he muttered under his breath, _"I am not a hypocrite…I am not a hypocrite…this stuff will blow over…I know it will…Jessica doesn't hold grudges…I'll apologize once I get my shit together…"_

Sauntering into his office, he saw the translator sitting in on the small table in the far end of his office. "Samir…what can I do for you?"

"I wanted to talk to you about Jessica." Samir stopped to smell the room. "Why does your office smell like fish?"

"I spilled my lunch earlier, now get to the point about Jessica." Aubrey barked, preferring to not remember the tuna melt he wore earlier.

"When I ran into her at the diner this morning and apologized for what I said to her on Monday, she was glowing. It didn't take a rocket scientist to realize it was because of you, Aubrey." Samir thought about what he wanted to say. "I love her, but I'm would rather have her in my life as my friend than as an enemy, because the truth is, she's always loved you. I mean, it was obvious…every day we were in Scotland together, she waited to hear from you…a phone call…a Skype…anything in response to the letter she wrote you before leaving the US."

 _'Letter? What letter?'_ Aubrey needed more information, so he remained silent.

"Of course, each day ended with no message from you and it broke her a little inside. Two months and not one word. How could you just blow her off like that after she poured her heart to you?"

Aubrey knew he had to ask the question to find out what was going on. "I don't know what you're talking about, Samir."

"Bullshit, you don't. You stand there all innocent, but she wrote that letter to apologize for hurting you, hoping that someday you two could work out your problems so that you could be together again, and expressed how much she loved you. She said that you were different from any other guy she had met, that she saw a future with you and…that you got her in a way no one else ever had. She left her contact information for you to call her so you two could talk, but nothing. What kind of asshole does that?"

Sensing there was something he was missing, Aubrey tried defending himself. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"Yeah I do. She was devastated when you didn't even send her an email. Yeah, I was able to get her to date me, but…I was just a rebound, even if neither of us acknowledged it. I saw how crushed she was after we ran into the two of you at Founding Fathers last September. I think…she was still hopeful for the two of you, but she saw how easily you had moved on and realized she had to do the same. I was just the idiot who didn't want to see how much she still loved you, even though I don't think you deserved her love. I still don't."

Panicking more than ever as he realized the misunderstanding, Aubrey was determined to defend himself. "You don't even know me, Samir."

"Yeah, I do. Instead of being a man and talking to her, you cruelly ignore her after she pours her heart out to you because you're pissed off that she broke up with you. When you saw that she wasn't going to wait around for you anymore to quit pouting, you punished her by throwing that Karen lady in her face. So what made you decide that Jessica is worthy to be around again? Never mind…I don't want to know."

Samir picked up his coat. "I don't think you deserve a second chance, but she says you're a good man, so I'm choosing to be happy for her. Now, I'm warning you. If you hurt Jessica again like you did by blowing off her letter and her feelings, I'll come from Canada and make you sorry that you hurt my friend. Treat her right, Agent Aubrey. Jessica deserves someone who can give all of himself to her and appreciate the woman that she is. That had better be you."

The translator walked out of the office, not noticing Karen standing nearby in the shadows. Peeking in, she saw Aubrey, pale as a ghost sitting at his desk before putting his head in his hands.

 _"What the hell is he talking about? What letter did she write me?"_ She heard him say to himself before making a hasty exit from Major Crimes.

 ***/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/***

Booth sat at his desk looking at his phone. Twice his mother called today. He lost count of how many times she's called since their confrontation. Dan's email on top of that has only made him even more frustrated with the situation.

 _What the hell does she want now?_ But didn't he want her to come around? Didn't he want an apology from her for all the pain she caused him over the years?

"No…no…she needs to know what it feels like to wait. I'm not ready yet."

Brennan walked in Booth's office and saw him muttering to himself. "Booth, what's wrong?"

Startled, he saw his wife looking at him with concern. "Nothing Bones."

"Booth, why don't you just return your mother's phone call?" The anthropologist sat down in front of her husband. "That way, you'll know for sure what she wants to say. I would guess that she wants to apologize for what happened last week."

"Maybe Bones, but…I'm not ready yet. I just can't…not now. Christmas will be here Monday and I'm still pissed that we couldn't take the kids to Philly to see Nana, Pops, and Jared."

"Booth…we'll go see them Tuesday. I was able to change our lodging reservation and it saved us some money. The traffic also won't be as crowded as most holiday travelers will be home by then."

"But Bones…"

"But Booth…we would be racing with a snowstorm coming in that may possibly close roads around here. We would have to rush our visit to the cemetery, and I think your grandparents and Jared deserve more than that, don't you think?"

Booth couldn't deny the logic in his wife's words. "Yeah…"

Brennan knew her husband wouldn't like what she had to say but as partner, it needed to be said. "Booth, I don't think you're upset because of our trip to Philadelphia is being delayed from the incoming inclement weather."

"What are you talking about, Bones?"

Brennan walked around to the desk and sat on the corner across from him. "You're upset because you don't know what your mother wants to say to you but you're scared to find out because you're afraid to be rejected again."

Not liking what his wife had to say, Booth got up. "Bones, you're usually more logical than that. Why the hell would I be afraid of what she has to say to me?"

"Because she's your mother, Booth."

"The same mother that abandoned me to a child abuser and cut me off for almost thirty years to raise another family." The agent grabbed his coat. "Now, are you ready to interrogate our suspect?"

Seeing she wouldn't be getting anywhere, Brennan acquiesced for the time being. "Yes, Booth, but this conversation is not finished."

"It is for me." Booth said before accompanying his wife out of his office.

 ***/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/***

Aubrey focused on work to keep his mind occupied, but it kept wandering back to what Samir said earlier.

 _"I don't know what you're talking about, Samir."_

 _"Bullshit, you don't. You stand there all innocent, but she wrote that letter to apologize for hurting you, hoping that someday you two could work out your problems so that you could be together again, and expressed how much she loved you. She said that you were different from any other guy she had met, that she saw a future with you and…that you got her in a way no one else ever had. She left her contact information for you to call her so you two could talk, but nothing. What kind of asshole does that?"_

"What letter is Samir talking about?" Aubrey muttered to himself.

"If I were to guess, this one in my hand."

Startled from his musings, Aubrey looked up to see Karen in his office holding up an envelope. Immediately recognizing the handwriting on the envelope where _'Aubrey'_ was written, he looked up at Karen. "That's Jessica's handwriting and it has my name on it. Why do you have it, Karen? Did you bring it up from the mail room?"

The profiler's stomach was in knots, but she knew if she didn't do this now she would lose her nerve. "About a week before Jessica went to Scotland, we had plans to meet for dinner. I came here to meet you, but you were still in an interrogation. When I sat down, I saw this envelope on your desk."

Aubrey got a bad feeling in his stomach. "That was in May. Why do you have it?"

Karen continued to babble. "You were angry with her, but I knew one day you wouldn't be angry with her anymore. I convinced her to break up with you when you were going to LA, but then you stayed. When I read this letter while waiting for you, I couldn't take a chance on you leaving me…you were still hung up on her but we were getting closer…once you talked to her I knew that I would lose you…we were meant to be together, not you and Jessica…"

Karen's words began to sink in. "Wait…you told Jessica to break up with me? Why?"

"Because I loved you…Jessica came to me crying…she was upset with you over the whole LA thing and how you asked her to go with you. She was angry with you for your behavior at Cam's wedding and felt like she was being taken for granted, but she went to Dr. Brennan asking about a possible transfer to UCLA to be close to you. However, Dr. Brennan told her it would be impossible to do that because she would have to start over if she could even find an advisor for her topic. I saw my chance and I took it…"

"What did you tell my girlfriend?" Aubrey said, crossing his arms.

"I told her that you would resent her for making you stay because of how ambitious you were. I told her that if she loved you as much as she said she did, she should break up with you so you could go to LA. When she hesitated, I told her that if you turned down this promotion, FBI regulations stated you would probably not get another offer and that your career would stall."

Aubrey's uncertainly began to turn into quiet anger. "So, she broke up with me, saying that we had no future so I would go to LA instead of stay here in DC because you lied to her."

"Yes." Karen nodded. "But then Halko retired and you got his job. I knew it was just a matter of time before she tried to contact you. I ran into her at the diner the day after I found the letter and she talked about how she wanted to talk about what went wrong in your relationship. I told her how angry you were and that you hated her but Jessica wouldn't budge. She didn't want to go to Scotland because she wanted to work things out with you first, but you wouldn't take her calls and blew off her attempts to talk to you. I wasn't wrong…you were so furious with her still…I wanted to protect you…"

"I didn't need your protection, Karen." Aubrey said in a controlled and quiet voice. "You had no right to keep that from me."

Karen saw the quiet anger in Aubrey's eyes. "I had to because once you read it, I knew I would lose you to her. I figured she would meet some guy there and then you would realize that there was someone else waiting for you. I was surprised when she came back, but when I saw her with Samir at Founding Fathers…it was perfect. I said anything I could to convince you that she was over you while you plowed back shots…I told myself that you slept with me that night because you wanted me, but you were trashed because of how upset you were to see Jessica with Samir. I loved you Aubrey…I was better for you than Jessica…at least I thought I was…"

"What changed your mind, Karen?" Aubrey gritted. "You seemed to enjoy playing God with my life…so what brought about this burst of honesty?"

"The Masters case…first, that chef being so pissed that our vic dumped him to go back to his true love…but it was the ex-wife you know…" Karen took a shaky breath. "She was so angry…and almost…proud that she played with her ex-husband's life. She said that she loved him, but she didn't because she didn't care that he wasn't happy with her. That was me, Aubrey…and I didn't want to be as bitter and alone like she was, but I am because while I say I love you, you weren't happy with me. You were happy with Jessica…and she was happy with you…sure you two were at odds over your promotion and you both had commitment issues, but maybe after some time apart you two would have worked things out."

Karen took a step closer and forced herself to look at the agent whose eyes were cold. "It's like you said to Ms. Masters earlier. Love is about wanting that person happy, no matter what, not clinging to that person as if they're a possession. That's when I knew that if I really loved you, I had to be honest with you…and help you to become happy. I'm so sorry, Aubrey."

Karen held her hand up with the letter. "This is yours. I hope you and Jessica work things out. I'm sorry for any part that I played in that is making you two at odds. Goodbye, Aubrey."

Aubrey watched the profiler walk away. He wanted to yell at her, but the letter was burning his fingers. Opening the envelope, he pulled out the letter. He saw the Jeffersonian letterhead and realized she wrote it while at work. Feeling his knees shake, the agent sat down and began to read.

 ** _Dear Aubrey:_**

 ** _I write this to you because I've been trying to contact you since I found out that you stayed in DC. I have so much to say to you, but it's obvious how angry and hurt you are at me. First off, I'm so sorry for hurting you. That was the last thing I wanted to do, but I didn't know what else to do. I was sad you took the promotion without even a second thought about us. Then you didn't talk to me about it but you did to everyone else, then you avoided me for two weeks while I was out in the cold. You shut me out and it hurt me deeply._**

 ** _I felt like not only you were taking me for granted, but also that you weren't as serious about me as you said that night by the subway. I'm sorry for my reaction that night. I meant what I said in that it wasn't the wrong thing to say. Actually, it was a beautiful sentiment that I never dreamed I had needed until it was too late. While I had my own issues with commitment, what held me back that night was you._**

 ** _I'm sure you're asking 'Me? How?'. Well, James, once we made love and got together, it was like you shut me out of certain things, especially your father. I tried to talk to you about him more than once, but you changed the subject, sometimes with sex. When you didn't tell me right away about your father coming back to town, it hurt so much. Why was it you could talk to Karen Delfs but not me? What we had was special, at least I thought it was, but it felt like sometimes you held a part of yourself back because you didn't trust me, and it hurt more than you could ever know. That is what held me back that night when you told me how you felt._**

Getting up, Aubrey shut his office door and sat down back, tears welling in his eyes as he continued to read.

 ** _Catching the bouquet at Arastoo and Dr. Saroyan's wedding scared the hell out of me, but your reaction by getting smashed broke my heart. It seemed that you were even more afraid of commitment than I was. Then there was your stupid joke about a threesome with Karen, then you just asking me to move with you to California like it's nothing. It was everything, Aubrey. My life, my family, and my career were here. A doctorate program is not something you can just pick up and take everywhere. However, as hesitant as I was to move, I did go to Dr. B but she said there was no way to transfer to go with you then or in the near future._**

 ** _I didn't know what to do. I left the lab and cried…before I knew it I was at Karen's office at Quantico. I told her what had happened with Dr. B and that I wasn't sure what to do. Karen told me that I had to put you first because you would never get another chance at a promotion like this and that you may resent me for making you turn it down. I know how much your career with the FBI meant to you and I didn't want to be selfish and keep you with me when you wanted the job so badly. Karen said that I break up with you because if I didn't, you would stay out of obligation and I couldn't do that to you. I loved you too much to do that, so I did the hardest thing I've ever done…I let you go._**

 ** _Up until we talked in that interrogation room, I told myself that you would be all right with this…that it would be simple, but it wasn't. The look in your eyes…the hurt in your voice…it killed me, but then you got that damn phone call. That just reinforced that perhaps I was doing the right thing because Kovacs needed to be caught and your career was very important to you. You would be fine and I would move on._**

 ** _Since it was the start of Spring Break, I went up to my family winery for the week because I didn't want to see you go. It wasn't until I returned to DC that I found out from Dr. B that you took another promotion to stay in DC. I wanted so badly to call you, but I didn't know what to say either and I was scared to hear what you had to say. You said you wanted to talk but you never called. However, I knew that for us to get closure, whether it be only to share memories of the nights we spent together and the fun we had, just be friends again, or to eventually find our way back together, I had to woman up and face what I had done._**

 ** _When I first saw you at the Peters crime scene in April, I was nervous, but also happy. Then you wouldn't make eye contact with me, that was my first clue that I was wrong about you and that I had hurt you more than I knew. I realized right then that I had never stopped loving you. I tried to talk to you, but you didn't make it easy, which was your right and I'll never fault you for that. Angela suggested tricking you into meeting me but that wouldn't be right. I know you well enough to know how much you appreciate honesty and loathe people who play games and lie._**

 ** _I saw Karen posting on your Facebook near the end of April and I wondered if she counseled me in good faith or if she had an ulterior motive in convincing me to break up with you. I also knew that I was making you unhappy the few times I saw you, but I wasn't sure what to do. Then Dr. B mentioned this summer program last week at the University of Edinburgh. It's a wonderful opportunity, but I don't want to leave you even though we're not speaking._**

 ** _I want to fight for you, Aubrey…and us, but I'm not experienced in relationships and I don't know how. Some tell me to give you time, and others tell me to keep trying to connect with you. I just don't know what to do, but I had to give Dr. B an answer to Scotland, so with a heavy heart, I signed up for the summer semester._**

 ** _I'll be back in late August, but maybe when you're not so mad, could you call me? You can email me, write a letter, text me (although the roaming charges on my phone will be atrocious…but it will be worth it.). I just want to hear your voice and know how you feel about me…about us...maybe a story or two about Skinner. I miss him, too._**

 ** _I hurt you deeply, James and I can see that. However, I love you enough to let you go if you want. If you don't contact me the end of July, I'll accept that you want a clean break from me and I'll move on with my life. I will also wish you well with whomever you choose to love and hope they cherish you more than I did. Below is my address and phone number of the rooming house I'll be staying at by the university. I'll still have my cell phone and will be checking my emails daily._**

 ** _You're an amazing man, James Aubrey and I don't think you realize that enough. Maybe someday we'll both stop hurting and figure out what we're meant to be with each other._**

 ** _Love, Jessica._**

Aubrey dropped the letter on his desk and a tear finally fell as he recalled everything...their break up, Karen's sudden need to be his friend afterwards, and Jessica's constant attempts to contact him. Suddenly, everything made sense as he now understood why she moved on with Samir…or tried to. She thought he didn't want anything to do with her anymore.

She was desperate to talk to and find a way to work things out, but his stupid ass pride and anger wouldn't let him return her phone calls. "Because I didn't want to crawl and risk being hurt again…" He muttered.

His eyes got large as the last 24 hours came back in a rush. It was now obvious that Jessica was being careful, but she was caught up in her emotions like he was last night. She thought they were starting to move forward and he didn't do anything to dissuade her. His shame then led to disgust as he thought about how he made love to her, told her he loved her, and then practically ditched her afterwards because he didn't like being vulnerable.

Samir was right…he _was_ punishing her. He did it back in April, and he was doing it now. His feelings for her were still as strong as they were before and it terrified him. However, he now realized that he was more scared to be without her in his life…and that is what he was in danger of facing if he didn't fix it now. They had a long way to go, but it was his turn to take a step forward.

Grabbing his phone, he called her and got the voice mail. "Jessica…it's Aubrey…um…I…we need to talk…call me please? Maybe we can get together this weekend."

Aubrey hung up and waited five minutes before dialing another number. "Hey Hodgins, it's Aubrey. Is Jessica there?"

 _"No, she called back after lunch and told Dr. B something about meeting up with her landlord and took the rest of the day off. Did you call her cell?"_

"Yeah and left a message. Thanks." Aubrey hung up the phone, grabbed his coat, and headed out the door.

Driving as quickly as he could, he arrived at Cho's Grocery and walked in. Seeing her landlord with a customer, he waited patiently until he was done. "Mr. Cho? Hi, do you remember me?"

"Yes…Agent Aubrey…what can I do for you?"

"Is Jessica here?" Aubrey asked while looking around impatiently. "The lab said she came here after work."

"No…didn't see her. Talked to her yesterday about pay no rent for next month for trouble because to fix damage will go into January. Was she supposed to come here?"

"I probably misunderstood. If you see her, will you ask her to call me? It's very important." After getting assurances from the landlord, Aubrey left frustrated as he tried calling her again but getting the voice mail. "Jess, please call me. I have to talk to you."

He called Andie, Daisy, Brennan, Angela, and anyone else he could think of to no avail. Driving out to Maryland, he headed out to the family house and knocked three times but no answer. Checking the garage, he didn't see her Jeep and was sad.

"I'll just wait for a while."

However, after thirty minutes, Aubrey tried calling again but got no answer. Crestfallen, he was quiet before slamming his fist into the wheel in anger. "Son of a bitch!"

Starting his vehicle, he turned around and drove the half mile long driveway to the main road and headed back to Washington DC. He was getting a taste of what he put her through when she tried to talk to him in April and it hurt like hell.

Hopefully when he finally found her it wasn't too late to make things right again.

 ***/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/***

At 11:00, Jessica settled herself in the small apartment above her family's Bethesda wine tasting room. She knew she was a coward for hiding out but she didn't want to see or talk to anyone.

No…him.

A fresh tear fell and she wiped it away while remembering their fight earlier. She didn't mean to go ballistic on him but once she started to talk she couldn't stop as all the things that hurt her poured out. She didn't want to point fingers at what went wrong, but instead wanted them to work together so they could get past what happened. Unfortunately, Aubrey acted like he did nothing wrong and she couldn't just ignore it anymore.

He made love to her…and then ditched her like she was some cheap thrill, all because he got uncomfortable. Aubrey had never made her feel that way until this morning and it hurt deeply. Then getting the phone calls and text messages from him made it worse. She couldn't talk to him…he cut her heart and soul and she wasn't sure she could open herself up to that again. There would be no easy fix for what happened today.

Then her phone rang again with the Star Wars _Imperial Theme_. She reached for it before pulling her hand back. She just couldn't talk to him right now. When a voicemail was left, she played it.

 _"Jess…I…we need to talk…I'm such an ass…I…I know you're screening my calls and I know you're where I can't talk to you but please call me…"_

Her only response was to cry herself to sleep.

 ***/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/***

Aubrey ended the call and threw the phone on the floor. Staring at the ceiling, he knew he fucked up. Yes, Karen kept the letter from him, but he was the one who ran away this time and then took his fear out on Jessica. Yes, she did screw up, but as she pointed out to him and it hurt to admit, he did, too. He wanted her to hurt like he had and if the look on her face today was any indicator, he pulled that off in spades.

Now, instead of victorious, he was alone. Worst of all, because of his pride and fear, he may have blown the chance he had to make up with his intern…and it was all his fault.


End file.
